UC-NRLF 


^B    t.3D    2Tfl 


SKETCHES    OF 


HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 


•«? 


BY 
JOHN  V-D-S'AND  CAROLINE  R-MERRILL 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
CALIFORNIA 


SKETCHES  OF  HISTORIC 
BENNINGTON 


V 


BY 


JOHN  V.  D.  S.  AND  CAROLINE  R. 
MERRILL 


Mi'''' 


CAMBRIDGE 
printeD  at  tlje  HitiersiDc  prcfig 


1898 


Copyright,  1898, 
Bt  JOHN   V.   D.    S.   MERRILL  and  CAROLINE  R    MERRILL. 

All  rights  reserved. 


LOAN  STACK 


ho^f 


These  "  Sketches  of  Historic  Bennington  "  have  been 
written  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  Captain  Samuel 
Robinson,  "  Bennington's  Pioneer  Settler,"  by  two  of  the 
great  grandchildren  of  Judge  Jonathan  Robinson,  his 
yoimgest  son ;  and  at  the  request  of  friends,  who  wish  to 
preserve  a  few  facts  connected  with  the  town's  early 
history. 

Council  Place,  Bennington,  May  2,  1898. 


^r^ 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Bennington's  Pioneer  Settler 1 

In  Revolutionary  Days 12 

Our  Old  Homes 29 

The  Historic  Walloomsac 41 

The  Brick  Academy 51 

The  Sixteenth  of  August  and  Training-Days   .         ,         .60 

The  Old  Court-House 66 

Staging  Days 72 

Where  we  went  to  School 80 

Old-Time  Circus  Days 85 

Shops  by  the  Wayside 88 

The  First  Church  and  its  God's  Acre         .        .        .         .94 


LIST   OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 


The  Battle  Monument Frontispiece 

The  Catamount  Tavern 14 

The  Old  Home  of  General  David  Robinson       .        .         .36 

The  Old  Red  Bridge 44 

The  Brick  Academy 52 

"  Down  the  Broad  Street  " 60 

The  Old  Court-House QG 

The  Walloomsac  Inn 72 

"Where  yrE  went  to  School" 80 

The  Old  First  Church 94 


BENNINGTON'S  PIONEER  SETTLER 

Vermont  was  known  as  the  "  Wilderness,"  until 
after  the  subjugation  of  Canada  by  the  EngHsh  in 
1749.  But  when  peace  haa  been  restored,  Benning 
Wentworth,  Governor  of  New  Hampshire,  was  com- 
manded by  his  Majesty,  King  George  Second,  to 
make  grants  of  unimproved  lands  within  his  gov- 
ernment, and  Bennington,  named  in  his  honor,  was 
the  first  township  granted  in  what  is  now  known  as 
the  State  of  Vermont. 

Soldiers  serving  in  the  colonial  armies  were  often 
obliged  to  march  through  the  "  Wilderness,"  and 
many  of  them,  attracted  by  the  beauty  of  the 
scenery  and  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  planned  to 
return  some  time,  and  on  its  beautiful  hillsides,  or 
along  its  peaceful  valleys,  establish  settlements. 

One  of  these  colonial  soldiers.  Captain  Samuel 
Robinson,  returning  from  Lake  George,  and  mis- 
taking the  Walloomsac  River  for  the  Hoosac,  came 
to  Bennington,  and  encamped  here  with  a  few  of 
his  comrades.     He  was  so  delighted  with  the  beauty 


2  SKETCHES  OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

of  the  place  and  the  goodly  soil  that  he  called  it 
the  "  Promised  Land,"  and  determined  to  come 
back  and  make  it  his  home. 

About  thu'teen  years  after  the  township  of  Ben- 
nington was  granted  by  New  Hampshire,  he  had 
succeeded  in  persuading  some  of  his  friends  to  join 
with  him  in  purchasing  the  rights  of  the  original 
grantees,  and  his  first  party  of  settlers  arrived  in 
Bennington  on  June  18,  1761. 

This  party  consisted  of  the  families  of  Peter  Har- 
wood,  Eleazer  Harwood,  Samuel  Pratt,  and  Timothy 
Pratt,  from  Amherst,  Massachusetts,  Captain  Sam- 
uel Robinson,  with  the  rest  of  his  family  and  others, 
arriving  later  in  the  summer  and  fall. 

Captain  Samuel  Robinson,  the  pioneer  settler  of 
Bennington,  was  born  at  Cambridge,  Massachusetts, 
on  April  4,  1707.  He  was  descended  from  some  of 
the  oldest  families  of  New  England.  His  father, 
Samuel  Robinson,  was  born  at  Bristol,  England, 
on  April  20,  1680,  and  was  in  all  probability  a 
descendant  of  the  Rev.  John  Robinson,  of  Leyden. 

He  came  over  to  this  country  and  settled  at 
Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  where  he  married  Sarah 
Manning,  the  daughter  of  Abihaile  Wight,  on 
March  23,  1703. 


BENNINGTON'S  PIONEER  SETTLER  3 

Abiliaile  Wight  was  tlie  daugliter  of  John  Wight, 
of  Dedham,  Massachusetts,  and  the  granddaughter 
of  Thomas  Wight,  who  emigrated  to  Dedham,  and 
died  there  on  March  17, 1673,  thus  being  the  great- 
great-grandfather  of  our  pioneer  settler. 

Captain  Samuel  Robinson  was  married  to  Marcy 
Leonard  in  1730.  They  had  ten  children,  nine  of 
whom  lived  to  remove  to  Bennington. 

Mr.  Robinson  was  an  active  Christian,  and  a 
deacon  in  the  old  church  at  Hardwick,  where  he 
had  resided  for  twenty-six  years  before  moving  to 
Bennington. 

He  brought  up  his  large  family  of  children  in  the 
fear  of  the  Lord,  and  to  judge  from  the  worn  condi- 
tion of  his  copy  of  Isaac  Watts' s  "  Way  of  Instruc- 
tion by  Catechisms,"  the  "  principles  of  piety  an^ 
goodness  must  have  been  early  instilled  into  their 
minds. 

The  first  catechism  in  this  book  is  written  for 
children  from  three  to  four  years  of  age,  of  whom 
Watts  writes :  "  Children  of  ordinary  capacity  at 
three  years  old  or  a  little  more,  may  be  informed  or 
made  to  see  that  they  are  sinful  Creatures,  that 
they  have  offended  the  Great  God  that  made  them, 
that  they  cannot  save  themselves  from  his  Anger," 


4  SKETCHES   OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

and  the  following  is  an  example  of  the  questions 
and  answers  :  — 

"  What  must  become  of  you  if  you  are  wicked  ?  " 

"  If  I  am  wicked  I  shall  be  sent  down  to  everlast- 
ing Fire  in  Hell,  among  wicked  and  miserable 
Creatures." 

As  I  turn  over  the  pages  of  this  timeworn  copy, 
I  can  almost  imagine  that  the  yellow  leaves  bear 
traces  of  tears,  dropped  by  his  little  children  over  a 
century  ago. 

Mr.  Robinson  was  not  only  a  good  man,  esteemed 
by  all  who  knew  him,  but  a  brave  and  loyal  soldier. 

"He  was  a  Captain  in  Colonel  Ruggles'  regiment 
of  provincials,  and  served  as  such  on  the  frontier  in 
the  years  1755  and  1756,  and  was  in  the  battle  of 
.Lake  Georgfe." 

He  was  also  the  acknowledged  leader  in  all  affairs 
connected  with  the  Bennington  settlement,  and 
"  was  the  first  person  appointed  to  a  judicial  office 
within  the  limits  of  the  State." 

Persons  wishing  to  settle  in  the  township  of  Ben- 
nington were  accustomed  to  go  to  Mr.  Robinson  to 
purchase  lands.  He  was  a  strict  Congregationalist, 
and  wished  only  those  of  the  same  faith  to  settle 
near  him. 


BENNINGTON'S  PIONEER  SETTLER  5 

So  lie  always  asked  the  same  question  of  every 
newcomer  :  "  To  what  denomination  do  you  belong, 
my  friend  ?  " 

If  the  reply  were,  "  I  am  a  Congregationalist," 
he  was  allowed  to  settle  on  the  Hill;  but  if  he 
proved  to  be  an  Episcopalian,  Baptist,  or  Methodist, 
while  he  was  permitted  to  purchase  land,  it  must  be 
in  a  different  part  of  the  township. 

One  day  a  man  came  to  Mr.  Robinson,  who 
wished  to  obtain  some  land,  and  to  the  usual  ques- 
tion, "  To  what  denomination  do  you  belong,  my 
friend  ?  "  answered,  "  What  in  h —  has  that  to  do 
with  you?"  Perhaps  mentioning  a  warmer  climate 
so  unexpectedly  suggested  to  Mr.  Robinson  the 
thought  of  sending  him  further  south,  for  he  imme- 
diately dispatched  him  to  a  place  which  in  its  early 
history  was  more  noted  for  its  beautiful  scenery 
than  for  its  religious  growth. 

When  disputes  arose  between  the  governors  of 
New  York  and  New  Hampshire  concerning  the 
boundaries  of  their  provinces,  and  the  settlers  of 
Bennington  were  ordered  to  repurchase  their  lands 
under  New  York  grants,  they  joined  with  other 
townships  in  making  a  steady  resistance,  and  ap- 
pointed Captain   Samuel   Robinson  their  agent   to 


6  SKETCHES   OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

present  their  grievances  to  his  Majesty,  King  George 
Third. 

Mr.  Robinson  sailed  for  England  on  the  25th  of 
December,  1766,  and  reached  London  on  the  30th 
of  January  following. 

The  New  Hampshire  claimants  were  not  able  to 
provide  him  with  sufficient  money  to  make  his  mis- 
sion entirely  satisfactory  ;  for  in  his  letters  to  his 
family  he  writes  of  "  the  great  expense  of  living  in 
London,  of  being  in  want  of  money,"  and  that  "  it 
is  hard  to  make  men  believe  the  truth  where  there 
is  ready  money  on  the  other  side." 

It  must  also  have  been  a  great  trial  to  have 
remained  away  so  long  from  his  wife  and  younger 
children,  and  to  have  left  them  exposed  to  all  the 
dangers  which  surrounded  the  early  settlers  at  that 
time  in  the  "  Wilderness." 

But  he  was  fortunate  in  leaving  his  children  in 
the  care  of  a  woman  so  brave  as  his  wife.  The  fol- 
lowing account,  written  by  Mrs.  Allen,  the  grand- 
daughter of  Mrs.  Samuel  Robinson,  whose  mother 
was  the  little  Anna  mentioned,  will  illustrate  her 
bravery  :  — 

"  When  living  in  their  log  house,  while  her  hus- 
band was   in   England,  and  her   children,  David, 


•      BENNINGTON'S  PIONEER  SETTLER  1 

Jonathan,  and  Anna,  were  with  her,  wolves  came 
at  night,  and  tried  to  obtain  entrance  at  the  doors 
and  windows.  She  knocked  upon  the  door  to 
frighten  them  away,  then  seized  firebrands  from  the 
fire,  opened  the  door,  and  waved  them  and  shouted 
with  all  her  strength."  The  wolves  fled  away  and 
were  never  seen  again. 

Mrs.  Robinson,  like  many  of  the  Bennington  set- 
tlers, was  of  a  "  superior  sort,"  intellectual  in  her 
tastes,  and  a  great  reader  of  history,  both  ancient 
and  modern.  It  is  said  that  she  wept  when  leaving 
a  cultivated  home  for  a  life  in  the  "  Wilderness ;  " 
but  she  so  instilled  her  own  tastes  into  the  minds  of 
her  sons  that  she  hved  to  see  her  third  son,  Moses, 
governor  of  the  new  State  of  Vermont,  and  her 
youngest  son,  Jonathan,  the  leading  lawyer  of  the 
county. 

Jonathan  Robinson  was  a  great  jury  lawyer,  and 
in  pleading  the  cause  of  his  client,  being  very  sym- 
pathetic by  nature,  would  plead  with  such  earnest- 
ness and  feeling,  his  eyes  often  suffused  with  tears, 
that  invariably  he  would  win  his  case. 

One  day  in  court  when  he  was  pleading  most 
earnestly  for  a  client,  the  lawyer  on  the  opposite 
side  was  heard  to  whisper  to  a  friend,  — 


8  SKETCHES  OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

"  Jonatlian  has  begun  to  cry,  —  the  case  has  gone 
to  h — ." 

He  was  a  keen  judge  of  character,  and  would  al- 
ways try  to  save  the  life  of  an  innocent  man,  no  mat- 
ter how  strong  jDublic  feeling  might  be  against  the  ac- 
cused. Some  relatives  of  the  early  settlers  had  been 
massacred  or  captured  by  the  Indians,  which  caused  a 
very  bitter  feeling  in  town  against  them  ;  so  at  one 
time,  when  an  Indian  was  arrested  for  murder  and 
brought  to  Bennington  for  trial,  there  was  very  lit- 
tle chance  that  his  life  could  be  saved.  Judo;e  Jona- 
than  Robinson,  however,  felt  sure  that  he  was  unjustly 
accused,  and  determined  to  clear  hhn  if  possible. 
This  he  succeeded  in  doing,  and  was  very  thankful 
that  he  had  been  successful  in  saving  the  life  of  an 
innocent  red  man  when,  a  few  years  later,  the  real 
murderer  confessed  that  he  had  committed  the 
crime  which  had  nearly  caused  the  poor  Indian  to 
be  hanofed. 

Jonathan  Robinson  was  appointed  chief  judge  of 
the  Supreme  Court  a  few  years  after  the  death  of 
his  mother,  and  occupied  a  leading  position  in  the 
Republican  party  of  the  State  for  many  years. 

He  was  only  ten  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his 
father's  journey  to  England  in  behalf  of  the  New 


BENNINGTON'S  PIONEER  SETTLER  9 

Hampshire  claimants  ;  but  four  of  his  brothers  were 
already  married,  and  living  in  homes  of  their  own. 

With  so  many  dear  ones  awaiting  his  return,  how 
anxious  must  Samuel  Robinson  have  been  to  speed- 
ily accompHsh  his  mission,  and  take  his  departure 
from  England. 

When  at  last  he  was  so  far  successful  that  a 
formal  order  of  the  king  in  council  was  made,  com- 
manding the  Governor  of  New  York,  "  upon  pain  of 
his  Majesty's  highest  displeasure,  to  make  no  grant 
whatever  of  any  part  of  the  lands  in  dispute,  until 
his  Majesty's  pleasure  should  be  further  known," 
July  24,  1767,  he  determined  to  return  and  leave 
his  affairs  in  the  hands  of  Samuel  Johnson,  an  emi- 
nent lawyer  from  Connecticut,  who  had  been  peti- 
tioned to  assist  him  in  his  mission. 

But  just  as  Mr.  Robinson  was  ready  to  embark,  he 
was  unfortunately  taken  with  the  smallpox,  and  al- 
though, Mr.  Samuel  Johnson  wrote  his  wife,  "  no 
attention,  care,  or  expense  was  spared  for  his  com- 
fort," yet  he  died  in  London  on  the  27th  of  October, 
1767,  and  was  interred  in  the  burying-ground  be- 
longing to  Mr.  Whitfield's  church,  where  he  usually 
attended  public  worship. 

"  He  was  sensible  to  the  last  and  calmly  resigned 


10         SKETCHES   OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

to  the  will  of  Heaven  "  that  he  should  die  so  far 
away  from  the  loved  ones,  and  his  home  on  the 
beautiful  Hill  which  he  had  called  the  "  Promised 
Land." 

So  strong  a  faith  as  this  brave  soldier's  must  surely 
be  rewarded,  and  we  no  longer  wonder  at  the  words 
written  in  the  little  catechism,  under  his  father's 
name,  by  his  youngest  son  Jonathan. 

Captain  Samuel  Robestson- 
His  book, 
Who  now  is  dead  and  gone  out  of 
this  world,  in  exchange  for  a  better 
we  hope. 

Written  by  his  son  Jonathan, 
March  4,  1770. 

A  magnificent  shaft  on  the  brow  of  the  Hill  stands 
as  a  memorial  to  those  brave  men  who  fought  in  the 
Bennington  battle  "  that  liberty  might  live." 

A  beautiful  work  of  art,  a  catamount  in  bronze, 
marks  the  site  of  the  "  Catamount  Tavern."  But  to 
honor  the  name  of  the  man  who  left  home  and 
friends  to  protect  the  rights  of  the  early  Bennington 
settlers,  no  effort,  as  yet,  has  been  made  by  the  peo- 
ple in  the  town  which  he  settled. 

Only  a  simple  slab  of  white  marble  in  our  old 


BENNINGTON'S  PIONEER  SETTLER  11 

churchyard,  erected  by  the  thoughtfulness  of  his 
grandson,  David  Robinson,  Jr.,  tells  us  the  story 
of  the  settlement  of  Bennington,  and  his  death 
abroad. 

"  To  justice,  freedom,  duty,  God,  and  man  forever  true, 
Strong  to  the  end,  a  man  of  men,  from  out  the  strife  he  passed." 


IN  REVOLUTIONARY  DAYS 

About  two  years  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Robinson, 
Lieutenant-Governor  Golden,  coming  again  into 
power,  began  making  grants  of  lands  already  occu- 
pied under  the  New  Hampshire  titles. 

Ejectment  suits  were  now  brought  against  some 
of  the  Bennington  people,  who  were  just  beginning 
to  enjoy  the  homes  which  they  had  labored  so  hard 
to  establish ;  and  although  the  suits  were  to  be  tried 
at  Albany,  where  they  had  Httle  reason  to  believe 
that  they  would  obtain  justice,  yet  they  determined 
to  go  there  and  defend  their  rights. 

These  suits  all  went  in  favor  of  the  plaintiffs  ;  and 
after  the  trials  were  over,  Ethan  Allen,  then  living  in 
Bennington,  who  had  taken  an  active  part  in  pre- 
paring these  cases  for  trial,  was  told  by  some  of  the 
Albany  officials  to  go  home  and  advise  his  Green 
Mountain  friends  to  make  the  best  terms  they  could 
with  their  New  York  landlords. 

Allen  replied  that  "  the  gods  of  the  valleys  were 
not  the  gods  of  the  hills;"  and  when  asked  to  ex- 


IN  REVOLUTIONARY   DAYS  13 

plain  the  meaning  of  his  words,  answered,  "  If  they 
would  come  to  Bennington,  the  meaning  would  be 
made  clear  to  them." 

If  the  judgments  obtained  by  the  plaintiffs  at 
Albany  were  carried  into  effect,  great  injustice 
would  be  shown  toward  the  settlers ;  so  a  town  meet- 
ing was  called  at  Bennington  to  determine  what 
should  be  done,  and  it  was  decided  that  "  the 
execution  of  writs  of  possession  should  be  resisted 
by  force,  if  necessary." 

This  resolve  of  the  Bennington  people,  who  main- 
tained the  leadership  in  the  opposition  to  New  York, 
to  resist  the  execution  of  the  Albany  judgments 
met  with  great  approval  in  other  townships  settled 
under  the  New  Hampshire  grants. 

At  first  the  settlers  were  assisted  by  their  friends 
and  neighbors  in  resisting  the  attempts  of  the  New 
York  officers  to  serve  writs  of  ejectment,  but  as 
these  attempts  became  more  frequent,  a  mihtary 
force  was  organized  to  resist  the  wrongful  claims  of 
New  York. 

This  force  was  under  the  command  of  Ethan 
Allen,  with  the  title  of  Colonel,  and  Seth  Warner 
was  one  of  its  captains. 

These  brave   defenders  of  the  New   Hampshire 


14         SKETCHES   OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

title  were  soon  known  as  the  "  Green  Mountain 
Boys,"  on  account  of  a  threat  of  Governor  Tyron 
that  he  "  would  drive  the  settlers  from  their  posses- 
sions into  the  Green  Mountains." 

Committees  of  Safety  were  also  organized  in  sev- 
eral towns  of  the  New  Hampshire  grants  to  watch 
over  the  affairs  of  the  settlers,  "and  their  decrees  in 
regard  to  their  land-title  controversy  were  received 
and  obeyed  as  laws." 

At  Bennington  the  Council  of  Safety  was  held  at 
the  Green  Mountain  Tavern,  kept  by  Stephen  Fay, 
on  whose  sign-post  was  placed  about  this  time  a 
stuffed  catamount,  looking  toward  New  York  and 
grinning  defiance,  which  later  caused  its  name  to  be 
changed  to  Catamount  Tavern. 

Here  Ethan  Allen,  Seth  Warner,  and  others  met 
to  judge  those  who  were  considered  friendly  to  New 
Yorkers,  or  who  had  dared  to  accept  any  office  of 
honor  under  them,  and  who,  when  found  guilty, 
were. in  danger  of  "being  viewed." 

When  New  York  ofi&cers  were  caught  serving 
writs  of  ejectment,  they  were  punished  by  the 
"  beech  seal,"  defined  by  Allen  to  be  "  a  chastise- 
ment of  the  New  York  claimants  with  the  twigs 
of  the  '  Wilderness,'  the  growth  of  the  land  they 
coveted." 


vm 


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IN   REVOLUTIONARY  DAYS  15 

Sometimes  their  punishment  of  offenders  was 
more  ridiculous  than  severe  ;  for  instance,  when  Dr. 
Samuel  Adams,  of  Arlington,  deserted  their  cause, 
they  arrested  him  and  carried  him  to  Bennington 
for  trial,  where  he  was  sentenced  to  be  tied  in 
an  armchau',  and  to  be  suspended  for  two  hours 
beneath  the  sign  of  the  Catamount  Tavern. 

"  This  mild  and  exemplary  disgrace  had  a  salu- 
tary effect  on  the  doctor  and  many  others,"  and 
thus  the  New  Yorkers  learned  to  fear  the  displea- 
sure of  the  "Green  Mountain  Boys." 

But  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolutionary 
war,  the  disputes  concerning  the  provincial  bound- 
aries were  forgotten  in  the  anxiety  of  every  loyal 
American  to  join  in  the  struggle  against  a  common 
enemy. 

Upon  receiving  news  of  the  battle  of  Lexington, 
Ethan  Allen  said,  "  the  men  of  the  New  Hampshire 
grants  were  almost  distracted  ; "  and  the  principal 
of&cers  of  the  Green  Mountain  Boys,  and  other 
prominent  men,  met  at  Bennington,  and  in  the 
council  chamber  of  the  Catamount  Tavern  decided 
"the  cause  of  the  country  to  be  just,"  and  that 
"  resistance  to  Great  Britain  had  become  the  indis- 
pensable duty  of  a  free  people." 


16         SKETCHES   OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

They  also  planned  here  at  this  time  the  capture 
of  Fort  Tieonderoga,  and  when  "  messengers  were 
sent  to  Bennington  to  engage  Colonel  Ethan  Allen 
and  his  associates  in  the  expedition  against  that 
fort,"  they  found  them  ready  for  the  enterprise. 

On  the  evening  of  May  9,  1775,  Ethan  Allen, 
with  two  hundred  and  seventy  men,  all  but  forty  of 
whom  were  Green  Mountain  Boys,  and  many  of 
them  from  Bennington,  surprised  the  sentinel  on 
duty,  and,  entering  Fort  Tieonderoga,  ordered  Cap- 
tain Delaplace,  the  commandant,  to  surrender. 
"By  whose  authority?"  demanded  the  astonished 
Delaplace. 

Allen  answered,  "  In  the  name  of  the  great  Je- 
hovah and  the  Continental  Congress,"  and  Delaplace 
was  obHged  to  surrender  the  fort,  with  its  cannon 
and  military  stores,  to  the  Green  Mountain  Boys. 

Ethan  Allen  was  a  brave  soldier,  but  a  very  vain 
man  ;  and  it  is  said  that  at  a  thanksgiving  service  in 
the  First  Church  at  Bennington,  after  the  capture  of 
Fort  Tieonderoga,  the  Rev.  Jedediah  Dewey  made 
a  prayer  in  which  he  gave  to  God  all  the  glory  of 
that  capture,  when  Allen  called  out,  in  the  midst 
of  his  prayer,  "  Parson  Dewey  !  Parson  Dewey ! 
please  mention  to  the  Lord  about  my  being  there  !  " 


IN  REVOLUTIONARY  DAYS  17 

Parson  Dewey  had  been  troubled  before  by  Allen 
during  divine  service,  for  at  one  time  when  he  was 
preaching  on  the  character  of  God,  and  some  re- 
mark displeased  Allen,  he  arose  in  his  pew  and 
shouted,  "  It  is  not  so !  "  and  started  to  leave  the 
church.  But  Mr.  Dewey,  who  was  equally  bold 
and  determined,  pointed  his  finger  at  Allen  and 
said,  "  Sit  down,  thou  bold  blasphemer,  and  listen 
to  the  Word  of  God !  "  Allen,  who  admired 
bravery,  immediately  sat  down,  and  listened  with 
respect  to  the  remainder  of  the  sermon. 

While  the  men  of  the  New  Hampshire  grants, 
under  Ethan  Allen,  had  shown  by  the  caj)ture  of 
Fort  Ticonderoga  that  they  were  wilhng  to  do  all 
in  their  power  for  a  common  cause,  yet  they  were 
not  willing  to  act  under  the  authority  of  New  York, 
although  they  were  now  nominally  under  its  juris- 
diction. 

So  at  a  convention  which  met  at  Dorset,  on 
January  15,  1777,  "they  unanimously  voted  for  a 
separate  and  independent  State,"  to  which  they  gave 
the  name  of  New  Connecticut.  This  new  State 
was  rechristened  Vermont  at  a  convention  which 
met  at  Windsor  on  June  4,  1777. 

The   affairs   of   the  State  were  managed,  for  a 


18  SKETCHES  OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

time,  by  a  Council  of  Safety,  with  Thomas  Chit- 
tenden as  President,  and  which  "  assembled  at 
Bennington  in  July,  1777,  where  it  remained  in 
permanent  session  throughout  the  year." 

On  July  6  Ticonderoga  had  fallen  into  the  hands 
of  the  enemy,  for  it  had  been  impossible  to  hold  the 
fort  against  the  superior  army  of  Burgoyne. 

"  Sorrowfully  the  Green  Mountain  Boys  relin- 
quished, with  almost  as  little  bloodshed  as  two  years 
before  they  had  gained  it,  the  fortress  that  guarded 
the  frontier  of  their  country." 

Burgoyne  continued  to  advance  toward  the  Hud- 
son, where,  near  Albany,  he  hoped  to  meet  a  part 
of  the  army  of  General  Howe,  and  by  uniting  these 
forces  the  British  expected  to  get  the  entire  control 
of  the  State  of  New  York  and  the  Hudson  River, 
thus  cutting^  off  New  Eng'land  —  "  the  head  of  the 
rebellion  "  —  from  the  other  States. 

Burgoyne  had  issued  a  proclamation,  threatening 
ruin  to  all  who  should  oppose  him  ;  and  the  thought 
that  he  would  turn  loose  the  Indian  allies  upon 
them  created  a  panic  among  the  settlers  of  Vermont. 

The  Council  of  Safety,  now  assembled  at  Benning- 
ton, called  upon  the  officers  of  the  militia  to  raise  all 
the  men  possible  for  the  defense  of  their  territory. 


IN  REVOLUTIONARY  DAYS  19 

Ira  Allen,  secretary  of  tlie  Council,  sent  the 
alarming  news  to  General  Schuyler  that  Burgoyne 
was  advancing  along  the  western  border  of  Ver- 
mont ;  but  Schuyler  declined  "  to  notice  a  four- 
teenth State,  unknown  to  the  Confederacy,"  and 
sent  only  a  part  of  a  regiment  under  Colonel  Sim- 
mons. 

Allen  wrote  also  to  the  Councils  of  Safety  of 
Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire,  urging  them  to 
come  to  their  assistance  in  defending  the  western 
border  of  Vermont  against  Burgoyne. 

New  Hampshire  sent  back  the  cheering  words  that 
her  miHtia  was  forming,  and  would  march  at  once  to 
their  relief. 

Stark's  reply  soon  followed  :  "  I  am  on  the  way 
with  all  the  men  I  can  muster." 

Stark  had  received  his  orders  from  New  Hampshire 
on  July  22,  while  the  New  Hampshire  militia  were 
all  in  their  homes ;  on  August  7  he  was  at  Man- 
chester, and  on  the  9th  he  was  at  Bennington,  with 
his  own  force  and  the  men  from  Massachusetts,  where 
he  found  the  Vermont  men  organized  and  ready  for 
action. 

He  encamped  near  the  residence  of  Colonel  Her- 
rick,  where  he  remained  for  five  days  consulting  with 


20         SKETCHES   OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

Colonel  Warner  and  the  Council  of  Safety,  who  were 
awaiting  the  return  of  two  scouts  under  their  employ, 
to  obtain  positive  information  with  regard  to  the 
plans  of  the  enemy. 

General  Stark  had  received  information  that  "  the 
British  had  already  left  Castleton  with  an  intent  to 
march  to  Bennington  ; "  for  Burgoyne,  wishing  to 
provide  his  army  with  horses  and  provisions,  had 
planned  an  expedition  to  that  town,  to  seize  the 
horses  and  stores  which  had  been  collected  there. 

This  expedition  was  under  the  command  of  Baum, 
"a  Brunswick  lieutenant-colonel  of  dragoons,  and 
composed  of  more  than  four  hundred  Brunswickers, 
Hanau  artillerists  with  two  cannon,  the  select  corps 
of  British  marksmen,  a  party  of  French  Canadians, 
a  more  numerous  party  of  provincial  royalists,  and  a 
horde  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  Indians." 

On  August  14  Baum  arrived  at  Sancoik,  on  a 
branch  of  the  Walloomsac,  where  he  took  posses- 
sion of  a  mill  which  had  been  abandoned  by  Colonel 
Gregg  at  the  approach  of  a  superior  force. 

On  the  morning  of  the  14th  General  Stark,  who 
had  received  information  that  a  large  body  of  the 
enemy  was  approaching,  sent  word  to  the  remnant 
of   Colonel   Warner's   regiment   at   Manchester   to 


IN  REVOLUTIONARY  DAYS  21 

march  at  once  to  his  assistance,  then  set  forward 
with  his  brigade  to  meet  the  enemy. 

After  marching  about  five  miles  he  was  joined  by 
Colonel  Gregg,  who  was  retreating  from  Sancoik 
closely  followed  by  Baum» 

Stark  immediately  drew  up  his  "  little  army  "  in 
line  of  battle,  and  Baum  halted  his  force  on  a  hill, 
which  gave  him  great  advantage. 

Stark  skirmished  for  a  short  time,  and  killed  and 
wounded  thirty  of  the  enemy  without  any  loss  on  his 
own  side,  then  marched  back  about  two  miles,  where 
he  found  a  better  position. 

"  His  force  consisted  of  three  regiments  of  New 
Hampshire  militia,  a  small  body  of  militia  from  the 
east  side  of  the  mountain,  under  Colonel  Williams, 
from  Wilmington ;  a  corps  of  rangers,  formed  under 
the  authority  of  the  Vermont  Council  of  Safety,  com- 
manded by  Colonel  Herrick  ;  a  body  of  militia  from 
Bennington  and  its  vicinity,  Nathaniel  Brush,  colo- 
nel, of  which  there  were  two  companies  from  Ben- 
nington, the  one  commanded  by  Captain  Samuel 
Robinson,  and  the  other  by  Captain  Elijah  Dewey ; 
and  a  part  of  a  militia  regiment  from  Berkshire 
County,  under  Colonel  Simmons,  making  his  whole 
force  amount  to  about  eighteen  hundred  men." 


22         SKETCHES   OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

On  the  15  th  it  rained  in  torrents,  so  Stark  decided 
not  to  attack  the  enemy  until  the  next  day,  although 
he,  with  his  officers  and  the  Council  of  Safety,  had, 
the  day  before,  made  plans  of  attack  which  were 
"afterward  carried  out  with  remarkable  complete- 
ness." 

The  morning  of  the  16th  dawned  in  such  splendor 
that  one  of  Baum's  German  officers  was  so  impressed 
with  the  day  and  his  surroundings  that  he  wrote  the 
following  beautiful  description  :  — 

"  The  storm  of  the  preceding  day  having  expended 
itself,  not  a  cloud  was  left  to  darken  the  heavens, 
while  the  very  leaves  hung  motionless,  and  the  long 
grass  waved  not,  under  the  influence  of  a  perfect 
calm.  The  fields  looked  green  and  refreshed,  the 
river  was  swollen  and  tumultuous,  and  the  branches 
were  all  loaded  with  dewdrops,  which  glistened  in 
the  sun's  early  rays  like  so  many  diamonds.  Nor 
would  it  be  possible  to  imagine  any  scene  more  rife 
with  peaceful  and  pastoral  beauty." 

Early  in  the  day.  Colonel  Nichols  with  two  hun- 
dred men  had,  by  making  a  wide  circuit  through  the 
woods,  succeeded  in  getting  at  the  north  of  Baum's 
position,  in  the  rear  of  his  left  wing,  while  Colonel 
Herrick  with  three  hundred  men  went  southward 


IN  REVOLUTIONARY   DAYS  23 

and    secured   a  position   in  the  rear  of   his   right 


wmg. 


Baum  seeing  these  men  in  small  bands,  and  carry- 
ing fowling-pieces  without  bayonets,  stealing  behind 
his  intrenchments,  thought  they  were  friendly  Tories 
cominof  to  his  assistance,  and  so  Stark  was  enabled  to 
mass  about  five  hundred  men  in  Baum's  rear.  He 
then  arrested  Baum's  attention  by  a  feint  and  moved 
two  hundred  more  men  to  his  right,  and  with  the 
remainder  of  his  force  took  the  front  and  ordered  a 
general  assault. 

"At  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  Baum  was  at- 
tacked on  every  side.  The  Indians  dashed  between 
two  detachments  and  fled,  leaving  their  grand  chief 
and  others  on  the  field.  New  England  sharpshooters 
ran  up  within  eight  yards  of  the  loaded  cannon  to 
pick  off  the  cannoneers."  The  fight  was  a  very  hot 
one,  "  the  hottest  I  ever  saw  in  my  life,"  wrote  Stark 
to  General  Gates.  "Had  each  man  been  an  Alex- 
ander or  a  Charles  of  Sweden,  he  could  not  have 
behaved  more  gallantly." 

"  When,  after  about  two  hours,  the  firing  of  the 
Brunswickers  slackened  from  scarcity  of  powder,  the 
Americans  scaled  the  breastwork  and  fought  them 
hand  to  hand.     Baum  ordered  his  infantry  with  the 


24         SKETCHES  OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

bayonet,  his  dragoons  with  their  sabres,  to  force  a 
way  ;  but  he  fell  mortally  wounded,"  and  his  troops 
were  obliged  to  surrender.  But  only  just  in  time, 
for  soon  came  the  alarming  news  that  another 
British  force  was  advancing,  the  German  veterans 
under  Breyman. 

The  Americans  were  hardly  in  a  condition  to  meet 
this  fresh  foe,  and  Stark  was  about  to  givfe  the  order 
to  retreat,  when  Warner,  urging  him  to  stand  his 
ground,  shouted  to  the  men,  "  Stand  to  it,  my  lads  ! 
you  shall  have  help  immediately." 

This  brave  officer  so  encouraged  Stark  that,  al- 
though worn  out  and  jaded  from  his  first  fierce 
engagement,  he  collected  his  scattered  forces,  and 
once  more  faced  the  enemy. 

"Breyman  opened  an  incessant  fire  from  his 
artillery  and  small-arms,  which  was  for  a  while 
returned  by  the  Americans  with  much  spirit;  but 
exhausted  by  fatigue  and  hunger,  and  overpowered 
by  numbers,  they  at  length  began  slowly,  but  in 
order,  to  retreat  before  the  enemy,  disputing  the 
ground  inch  by  inch." 

But  fortunately  the  remnant  of  Warner's  regi- 
ment from  Manchester  just  then  arrived,  and  has- 
tened to  give  most  timely  aid.     Not  enough  praise 


IN  REVOLUTIONARY  DAYS  25 

has  been  accorded  to  that  brave  band  of  men  under 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Samuel  Safford,  one  of  Bennmg- 
ton's  early  settlers,  who  marched  that  rainy  night 
to  Bennington,  arriving  on  the  field  of  battle  the 
next  day,  just  in  time  to  bring  the  much-needed 
assistance  to  Stark's  tired  army,  where,  fighting 
by  Stark's  side,  was  their  own  beloved  colonel, 
Warner,  a  Bennington  man,  and  one  so  esteemed 
by  every  Bennington  boy  that  they  would  have  fol- 
lowed him  to  the  very  cannon's  mouth. 

Safford  and  his  men  fought  with  great  spirit, 
"being  determined,"  said  Allen,  "to  have  ample 
revenge  on  account  of  the  quarrel  at  Hubbar- 
ton." 

The  enemy  was  now  brought  to  a  stand,  and 
although  the  day  had  been  nearly  lost,  yet  it  was 
largely  owing  to  the  brave  Warner  and  the  Ben- 
nington boys  that  the  victory  was  ours. 

"  The  combat  was  maintained  with  great  bravery 
on  both  sides  till  sunset,  when  the  enemy  gave  way, 
and  were  pursued  till  dark.  With  one  more  hour 
of  daylight,  says  Stark  in  his  official  report,  he 
should  have  captured  their  whole  force." 

A  messenger  was  sent  at  once  to  Bennington  to 
announce  the  result  of  the  battle,  and  as  he  rode 


26         SKETCHES  OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

swiftly  through  the  street,  he  shouted  the  joyful 
news,  "  Victory  is  ours  !  victory  is  ours  !  " 

Great  must  have  been  the  rejoicing  at  the  Cata- 
mount Tavern,  where  the  Council  of  Safety  had 
remained  all  day  in  their  "  low-browed  chamber,"  to 
hear  at  last  the  good  tidings  that  the  "  God  of  the 
hills  "  had  indeed  given  them  the  victory. 

The  brave  landlord,  Stephen  Fay,  when  told  that 
his  oldest  son,  John,  was  among  the  slain,  said,  "  I 
thank  God  I  had  a  son  wilhng  to  give  his  life  for 
his  country." 

We  can  also  imagine  the  joy  of  those  brave  Ben- 
nington women  who  had  seen  husbands  and  sons 
march  through  their  beautiful  street,  on  the  way  to 
stop  the  advance  of  an  enemy  whose  presence 
meant  death  and  destruction  to  all  that  was  dear  to 
them. 

The  wife  of  our  pioneer  settler,  Marcy  Robinson, 
saw  her  second  son,  Samuel,  march  as  captain  of  one 
of  the  two  Bennington  companies,  and  three  of  her 
other  sons  march  with  him.  One  of  these,  her  old- 
est son,  Leonard,  whose  aim  was  quick  and  deadly, 
said  after  the  battle :  "  Every  time  I  shot  I  saw  a 
man  fall,  but  I  prayed  the  Lord  to  have  mercy  on 
his  soul,  and  then  I  took  care  of  his  body." 


IN  REVOLUTIONARY  DAYS  27 

She  also  saw  tlie  husband  of  her  oldest  daughter, 
Marcy,  Lieutenant  Joseph  Safford,  under  the  com- 
mand of  his  brother,  march  to  the  bold  Warner's 
relief.  Benjamin  Fay,  the  husband  of  her  second 
daughter,  Sarah,  was  also  in  the  Bennington  battle. 

Her  third  son,  Moses,  was  the  first  colonel  of 
militia  in  the  State,  and  had  distinguished  himself 
at  Ticonderoga  in  1776,  and  had  received  at  that 
time  a  letter  of  commendation  from  General  Gates, 
which  is  now  in  the  possession  of  his  granddaughter, 
Mrs.  Edward  Swift.  But  his  regiment  had  been 
disbanded,  and  at  this  time  he  was  one  of  the  most 
able  men  in  the  Council  of  Safety,  where  his  ser- 
vices were  more  needed  than  on  the  field. 

His  wife  Mary,  the  daughter  of  Landlord  Fay, 
filled  with  the  same  patriotic  spirit  as  her  father  and 
brothers,  baked  bread  aU  day  for  Stark's  "  little 
army"  in  her  brick  oven  at  the  Governor  Robin- 
son farm ;  while  her  young  son  Aaron,  then  only 
nine  years  of  age,  cut  all  the  wood  necessary  for 
use. 

On  Harwood  hill  the  women  gathered  with  their 
children  in  the  woods,  and  while  the  battle  was 
raging  in  their  hearing,  spent  the  day  in  prayer. 
One  of  those  little  boys,  at  that  time  five  years  of 


28         SKETCHES  OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

age,  the  grandfather  of  the  Rev.  James  Harwood, 
always  beheved,  even  in  his  old  age,  that  "  the  vic- 
tory which  came  that  day,  and  that  turned  the  tide 
of  American  affairs,  was  due  more  to  the  forces 
controlled  by  that  band  of  praying  ones  than  to 
those  that  marched  out  into  the  field.  At  eighty- 
five  years  of  age,  and  in  full  possession  of  his 
powers,  the  old  man  used  to  close  his  recital  of 
that  decisive  day  with  the  repetition  of  the  124th 
Psalm :  "  — 

"  If  it  bad  not  been  tbe  Lord  who  was  on  our  side,  now  may 
Israel  say ; 

"  If  it  bad  not  been  tbe  Lord  wbo  was  on  our  side,  when  men 
rose  up  against  us  ; 

"  Then  they  had  swallowed  us  up  quick,  when  their  wrath 
was  kindled  against  us." 


OUR  OLD  HOMES 

How  fascinating  those  homes  always  were  to  me, 
even  as  a  child  !  I  can  remember  how  often,  with 
our  dolls  in  our  arms,  my  little  cousin  Sarah  and 
myself  wandered  up  and  down  our  village  street, 
wishing  that  we  might  be  permitted  to  enter  some 
of  those  attractive  old  places. 

The  homes  were  made  more  exclusive  in  those 
days  by  the  high  fences  which  inclosed  their 
grounds ;  and  I  remember  standing  by  a  gate  at 
the  Catamount  Tavern  one  beautiful  afternoon  in 
summer,  and  looking  with  longing  eyes  at  that 
historic  house,  when  suddenly  I  saw  a  sweet-faced 
old  lady  in  the  doorway,  who  beckoned  me  to 
enter.  We  most  joyfully  obeyed,  and  when  she 
questioned  me  whose  little  girl  I  was,  and  I  had 
told  her,  she  did  not  say  like  so  many  others,  "  Oh, 
you  are  Dan's  child,"  which  I  always  resented  as 
not  respectful  to  my  father ;  for  I  could  not  then 
understand  that  he  was  still  the  boy  Dan  to  his 
village  friends. 


30         SKETCHES  OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

She  told  me,  however,  that  she  was  my  cousin 
Euth,  and,  after  talking  pleasantly  awhile,  gave  us 
permission  to  go  into  the  garden  and  gather  goose- 
berries ;  no  others  eaten  since  have  ever  tasted  quite 
the  same.  I  never  saw  that  dear  old  lady  again, 
but  she  will  never  be  forgotten  by  the  Httle  child 
whom  she  made  so  happy  on  that  summer  after- 
noon. 

On  the  corner  south  of  the  Catamount  Tavern, 
and  next  to  the  court-house,  stood  the  old  house 
where  Ethan  Allen  once  Hved.  It  was  occupied 
when  I  was  a  child  by  Mrs.  Truman  Squier.  It  was 
a  large  double  house,  with  a  hall  which  ran  its 
entire  length,  and  opened  into  a  beautiful  old  gar- 
den. This  place  was  especially  attractive  to  us, 
for  flowers  and  shrubs  which  we  had  never  seen 
before  grew  there  in  wild  luxuriance,  and  beyond 
the  flowers  were  fruit  trees  of  many  kinds,  with 
grapevines  twining  high  up  in  their  branches.  We 
were  never  happier  than  when  we  were  ]3ermitted  to 
wander  in  this  old-time  warden . 

Probably  the  oldest  among  our  homes  is  the 
white  house  with  green  blinds,  so  sunny  and  plea- 
sant, which  stands  two  doors  south  of  the  First 
Church,  and  is  now  the  residence  of  Mrs.  Edward 


OUR   OLD  HOMES  31 

Swift.  It  was  built  in  1763  by  the  Rev.  Jedediah 
Dewey,  first  pastor  of  Vermont.  He  was  a  true 
patriot,  and  preached  a  famous  war  sermon  to  his 
people  the  Sunday  before  the  Bennington  battle  was 
fouofht  and  won. 

One  door  south  of  Mr.  Charles  Sanford's  resi- 
dence stood  another  of  our  old  homes,  which  was 
built  by  Captain  John  Fasset  in  1779. 

Mr.  Fasset  was  chosen  captain  of  the  first  mili- 
tary company  in  Bennington  in  October,  1761:.  It 
was  his  lovely  daughter  Mary  that  Judge  Jonathan 
Robinson  wooed  and  married ;  and  to  judge  from 
the  tenderness  and  love  manifested  in  his  letters  to 
her,  found  laid  away  in  an  old  trunk  in  our  attic 
at  home,  theirs  must  have  been  a  lifelong  attach- 
ment. She  was  a  woman  of  rare  loveliness  of  char- 
acter, and  her  goodness  made  such  an  impression  on 
the  childish  mind  of  my  father  that  I  have  heard 
him  tell  the  story  that  when  he  was  a  very  little 
boy,  and  was  frightened  in  a  severe  thunder-storm, 
he  would  get  behind  her  high  wooden  rocker,  in 
which  she  always  sat,  and,  with  his  little  hands  on 
the  chair,  felt  sure  that  he  would  be  saved,  because 
he  was  near  so  good  a  woman  as  his  grandmothero 

The  old  wooden  rocker  always  had  a  place  of 


32         SKETCHES   OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

honor  in  liis  home,  and  is  still  carefully  preserved 
by  his  family. 

Captain  Fasset  died  on  August  12,  1794,  and 
later  his  house  became  the  home  of  the  Rev.  Job 
Swift,  who  was  the  pastor  of  the  First  Church  for 
nine  years.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Yale  College, 
and  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  from 
Williams  College.  Doctor  Swift  was  a  man  highly 
esteemed  by  his  congregation,  and  one  whose  advice 
was  much  sought  after  in  all  ecclesiastical  councils. 
"  Good  men  loved  him,  and  delighted  in  his  society, 
and  the  worst  men  acknowledged  his  worth."  At 
his  death  he  was  known  as  the  "Apostle  of  Ver- 
mont." Two  of  his  sons,  Noadiah  and  Heman, 
were  leading  physicians  here  in  town  for  many 
years. 

About  a  mile  south  of  the  house  of  Captain  John 
Fasset  stands  the  old  home,  built  in  1769,  by  Peter 
Harwood,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Bennington. 
His  son  Benjamin  was  the  first  male  child  born  in 
Bennington,  and  it  is  from  a  diary  which  he  kept, 
and  his  son  Hiram  continued,  that  we  have  taken 
the  dates  of  our  old  homes.  The  first  apple-tree  in 
town  was  planted  by  Peter  Harwood,  near  his  house, 
where  it  Hved  and  flourished  for  109  years.     Many 


OUR   OLD  HOMES.     .  33 

relics  have  been  turned  from  the  wood  of  this  tree 
and  given  away,  to  be  carefully  preserved  by  friends 
who  were  interested  in  the  old  home,  near  where  it 
had  stood  for  more  than  a  century. 

On  Mt.  Anthony  Street,  west  of  the  Walloomsac 
Inn,  stands  the  Governor  Tichenor  house,  built  in 
1792.  Governor  Tichenor  first  came  to  town  on 
August  14,  1777,  being  "  Deputy  Commissary-Gen- 
eral of  purchases  for  the  Northern  Department." 
He  was  educated  at  Princeton  College,  and  after  the 
war  received  one  office  of  honor  after  another,  until 
he  was  elected  governor  of  the  State  in  1797,  which 
office  he  filled  for  eleven  years.  There  is  a  portrait 
of  the  governor,  which  may  be  seen  in  this  old 
home ;  he  was  described  as  a  gentleman  of  the  old 
school,  of  graceful  manner  and  address. 

The  nails  used  in  building  his  house  were  cut  in 
Bennington  from  hoops  taken  from  imported  liquor 
casks.  In  the  hall  of  the  second  story  still  hangs  a 
memorial  wall-paper  manufactured  at  the  time  of 
Washino^ton's  death  in  1799.  In  the  same  hall  is 
kept  a  handsome  silk  banner,  decorated  on  both 
sides,  and  ornamented  with  silk  fringe  and  tassels. 
This  banner  was  presented  to  Governor  Tichenor  by 
the  Washingtonian  Society,  of  which  he  was  a  mem- 


34         SKETCHES  OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

ber.  Another  interesting  relic  in  this  house  is  the 
Washington  pitcher,  manufactured  in  France.  The 
medaUion  of  Washington  on  this  pitcher  is  said  to 
be  a  perfect  likeness  of  our  great  Commander-in- 
Chief. 

About  half  a  mile  from  the  Tichenor  place,  and 
opposite  the  handsome  residence  built  by  Mr.  Hub- 
bell  Conkhng,  who  died  so  suddenly  abroad,  stands 
the  old  home,  built  in  1769,  of  Aaron  Hubbell, 
Esquire.  He  was  twenty  years  of  age  at  the  time 
of  the  Bennington  battle,  and  a  member  of  Captain 
Samuel  Robinson's  company  of  militia.  On  August 
14  he  marched  with  his  company  as  far  as  the 
Henry  place,  where  they  halted  and  were  ordered 
to  fell  trees  to  stop  the  artillery  of  the  enemy,  and 
he  was  the  first  soldier  to  bring  down  a  tree.  After 
the  first  successful  engagement,  on  August  16,  he 
was  appointed  one  of  the  guards  to  take  the  prison- 
ers captured  at  that  time  to  Bennington,  where 
they  were  confined  in  the  First  Church.  This  build- 
ing was  erected  about  1764,  and  was  smaller  than 
our  present  edifice,  and  stood  in  the  centre  of  the 
Green,  nearly  opposite  the  Walloomsac  Inn. 

In  1782  Mr.  Hubbell  was  married  to  Sarah 
Dewey,   daughter   of   Captain   Elijah   Dewey,  and 


OUR   OLD  HOMES  '  35 

granddaugliter  of  Jedediali  Dewey,  first  pastor  of 
the  ehurcli  on  the  Hill. 

They  had  a  large  family  of  children,  who  inter- 
married mth  the  leading  families  in  town.  This 
old  home  became  in  time  the  gathering-place  of 
this  large  family  and  their  descendants,  until  finally 
even  the  great-grandchildren  were  gathered  within 
its  hospitable  walls,  where  they  always  received  a 
hearty  welcome,  and  looked  with  wondering  eyes 
when  they  were  shown  the  bullet-hole  in  the  old 
kitchen  door,  made  by  a  wandering  Hessian  on  the 
day  of  the  Bennington  battle.  If  those  old  walls 
could  speak,  how  many  stories  they  could  tell  of 
love  and  grief ;  how,  in  the  "  west  parlor,"  many  a 
beautiful  bride  stood  and  heard  the  solemn  words 
that  were  to  send  her  far  from  the  home  she  loved ! 

Mr.  Hubbell's  second  wife,  the  great-grandmother 
that  we  remember,  was  a  dear  old  lady,  very  bright 
and  entertaining  in  conversation,  and  who  dearly 
loved  both  grandchildren  and  great-grandchildren. 
The  writer  remembers  how  lovely  she  looked  when 
she  quietly  slipped  those  delicious  pink  and  white 
peppermint-drops  into  her  warm  hands,  during  ser- 
vice, on  a  close  Sunday  in  summer,  and  how  her 
thoughtful  kindness  shortened  those  long  and 
weary  hours. 


36         SKETCHES   OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

The  familiar  faces  of  those  who  always  gave  us 
such  loving  welcome  have  long  since  left  us,  but 
their  kindness  and  hospitality  will  never  be  for- 
gotten, nor  the  pleasant  hours  which  we  have  so 
often  passed  in  that  dearest  of  our  old  homes. 

At  the  top  of  the  Academy  hill,  and  opposite  the 
spot  where  once  stood  his  father's  log  cabin,  stands 
the  only  one  of  the  old  Kobinson  homes  which  has 
not  been  destroyed  by  fire  or  negligence.  It  was 
built  by  David  Robinson  in  1795,  who  was  only 
seven  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  the  Bennington 
settlement.  He  was  in  the  battle  of  Bennington  as 
a  private  in  his  brother's  company  of  militia,  and 
afterward  rose,  by  regular  promotion,  to  the  rank 
of  major-general.  General  Robinson  was  a  man 
renowned  for  his  courage,  and  respected  by  the 
entire  community. 

In  this  home,  filled  with  many  relics  of  great 
historical  value,  lived  for  many  years  Mr.  George 
Wadsworth  Robinson,  a  man  who  did  more  to 
create  an  interest  in  historic  matters  connected 
with  this  town  than  any  other  resident.  Ajffable 
and  courteous  in  his  manners,  a  true  gentleman  of 
the  old  school,  he  was  always  ready  to  share  with 
strangers  his  valuable  store  of  information,  and  at 


5^ 
o 

o 


> 

W 

w 


a 


O 
o 


■ 


{ 


OUR   OLD  HOMES  37 

his  death  old  "  Benninoton  on  the  Hill  "  lost  one  o£ 
her  most  faithful  and  devoted  friends. 

The  white  house  on  the  corner,  near  the  Battle 
Monument,  now  occupied  as  a  parsonage,  was  the 
home  of  Captain  David  Robinson,  General  Robin- 
son's oldest  son.  The  writer  can  remember  how  he 
used  to  come  and  call  on  her  grandfather  Sunday 
afternoons,  wrapped  in  a  long  military  cloak  with  a 
red  linino;. 

Captain  David  owned  a  large  field  opposite  the 
house  of  Mr.  Isaac  Robinson,  in  the  centre  of  which 
was  a  beautiful  mound,  and  the  story  has  often  been 
told  that,  when  Captain  David  lost  his  first  wife, 
for  a  time  he  was  inconsolable,  nor  could  he  bear 
the  thought  of  having  his  dear  one  put  under 
ground  ;  so  he  built  this  mound,  under  which  he 
placed  the  coffin  of  his  wife,  where  day  after  day 
he  went  and  wept  most  bitterly.  But  when  a 
young  and  pretty  widow  came  into  town,  he  fell 
a  sudden  victim  to  her  charms,  and  Betsey  was  laid 
peacefully  at  rest  in  our  village  churchyard,  and  the 
charming  widow  soon  became  his  bride. 

This  house,  however,  is  more  distinctly  remem- 
bered as  the  home  of  Mr.  Isaac  Jennings,  who  was 
for  so  long  the  beloved  pastor  of  the  First  Church. 


38         SKETCHES   OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

Never  was  a  pastor  more  trusted  by  a  congregation  ; 
and  every  little  child  in  the  church  knew  him  and 
loved  him.  He  was  a  man  very  modest  and  retiring 
in  his  demeanor,  but  one  who  could  see  the  ludi- 
crous as  well  as  the  grave  side  of  any  subject. 

He  once  told  the  writer  that  he  was  appointed  by 
a  committee  to  visit  a  neighboring  hamlet  and  pray 
with  the  farmers  and  their  families.  He  arrived 
one  warm  morning  in  summer  in  front  of  a  farm- 
house, and  asked  the  mother  of  the  family  if  she 
and  her  husband  would  like  to  have  him  pray  with 
them  ?  She  replied  that  her  husband  was  at  work 
in  the  field,  but  she  would  send  for  him.  He  ar- 
rived presently  and  stood  in  front  of  Mr.  Jennings, 
twirling  his  hat  between  his  fingers,  heated  and 
tired.  "  My  friend,  would  you  like  to  have  me  pray 
with  you  ? "  asked  Mr.  Jennings.  "  I  would  as 
soon  not  as  tew,"  said  the  farmer.  This  reply  was 
certainly  not  courteous  or  encouraging,  but  Mr. 
Jennings  accepted  it  with  Christian  charity,  and 
was  extremely  amused  by  the  man's  simple  honesty. 

It  was  a  great  privilege  to  see  the  beautiful  life 
which  he  lived  so  long  among  his  people. 

He  had  adopted  certain  rules,  which  he  daily  ob- 
served, and  which  were  as  follows  :  — 


OUR   OLD  HOMES  39 

"  (1.)  To  hear  as  little  as  possible  to  the  preju- 
dice of  others. 

"  (2.)  To  beheve  nothing  of  the  kind  until  I  am 
absolutely  forced  to  it. 

"  (3.)  Never  to  drink  in  the  spirit  of  one  who 
circulates  an  ill  report. 

"  (4.)  Always  to  moderate,  as  far  as  I  can,  the 
unkiudness  which  is  expressed  towards  others. 

"  (5.)  Always  believe  that,  if  the  other  side  were 
heard,  a  very  different  account  would  be  given  of 
the  matter." 

We  truly  believe  that  the  universal  adoption  of 
these  rules  would  be  the  greatest  blessing,  and 
would  make  the  world  much  better. 

A  short  time  ago  we  came  across  the  following 
passage,  which  attracted  us  by  the  rare  beauty  of 
its  thought :  — 

"  We  are  told  by  the  marines  who  sail  on  the 
Indian  Seas  that  many  tunes  they  are  able  to  tell 
their  approach  to  certain  islands,  long  before  they 
can  see  them,  by  the  sweet  fragrance  of  the  sandal- 
wood that  is  wafted  far  out  upon  the  deep.  Do 
you  not  see  how  it  would  serve  to  have  such  a  soul 
playing  through  such  a  body  that,  as  you  go  here 


40         SKETCHES  OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

and  there,  a  subtle,  silent  force  goes  out  from  you 
that  all  feel  and  are  influenced  by;  so  that  you 
carry  with  you  an  inspiration  and  continually  shed 
a  benediction  wherever  you  go  ;  so  that  your  friends 
and  all  people  will  say,  —  His  coming  brings  peace 
and  joy  into  our  homes?  "  As  we  read  those  words, 
so  inspiring  and  helpful,  we  wondered  if,  among  the 
many  we  knew,  there  might  be  just  one  worthy  of 
this  description,  when  suddenly  our  thoughts  went 
back  to  our  honored  pastor,  whose  "  smile  was  a 
benediction  ;  "  and  when  we  thought  of  that  beauti- 
ful life,  we  no  longer  wondered. 


i 

1 


THE  HISTORIC   WALLOOMSAC 

The  historic  Walloomsac,  as  it  glides  slowly  and 
then  swiftly  through  the  east  part  of  Bennington, 
is  only  one  among  the  many  little  rivers  which 
every  New  England  boy  in  his  own  home  has 
learned  to  love.  But  to  the  Bennington  hoy,  al- 
though many  delightful  hours  are  associated  with 
this  beautiful  stream,  yet  the  historic  association 
makes  it  doubly  dear,  for  on  its  banks  that  glori- 
ous 16th  of  August  was  fought  the  battle  which 
brought  honor  and  victory  to  our  brave  Bennington 
men. 

Its  name,  Walloomsac,  originated  from  a  Dutch 
word,  Wallumschaik,  the  termination  "  chaik  "  sig- 
nifying scrip  or  patent;  the  whole  word  meaning 
Wallum's  patent,  the  name  of  a  grant  of  several 
acres  of  land  in  Bennington,  alleged  to  have  been 
granted  by  New  York  about  ten  years  before  the 
charter  under  New  Hampshire.  The  grant  bore 
the  date  June  15,  1739. 

On    its   banks,   a   short  distance  from  where  it 


42         SKETCHES  OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

issues  from  SafPord's  Pond,  stands  the  house  of  Mr. 
William  Morgan,  built  by  his  great-grandfather, 
Colonel  Samuel  Safford,  of  Revolutionary  fame. 
It  contains  many  relics  of  great  value,  and  is  one 
of  the  few  houses  of  Revolutionary  days  which  has 
been  carefully  preserved.  On  the  walls  of  its  sunny 
library  hangs,  framed,  a  letter  from  General  Wash- 
ington to  Colonel  Safford,  which  is  highly  treasured 
by  his  descendants  living  in  this  old  home,  one  of 
the  most  attractive  in  our  town. 

Below  the  Soldiers'  Home  are  three  bridges, 
whose  names  are  associated  with  favorite  localities 
of  ours  in  our  younger  days.  They  were  in  close 
proximity  to  each  other,  and  were  called  "  Meach 
Hole,"  "Governor  Robinson,"  and  "Old  Red" 
Bridgfe.  From  the  dam  near  the  Benningrton 
and  Rutland  Railway  passenger  station,  the  river 
winds  through  the  lower  part  of  the  village  down 
past  the  mammoth  woolen  mill  of  John  S.  Holden 
&  Co.,  and  thence  through  a  most  picturesque 
part  of  the  town,  until  the  highway  leading  to 
North  Bennington  is  reached.  Here,  in  the  olden 
time,  the  stream  was  bridged  by  an  open  wooden 
structure,  unpainted,  and  called  the  "  Meach  Hole 
Bridge."     A  few  feet  away,  the  Roaring  Branch 


THE  HISTORIC   WALLOOMSAC  43 

comes  in  ;  and  this  meeting-place  of  the  waters  was 
once  a  famous  fishing-ground,  some  of  the  largest 
trout  ever  caught  in  the  river  having  been  taken 
from  this  spot.  At  this  point  the  river  takes  a 
westerly  course;  and  but  a  few  yards  distant  the 
highway  is  again  bridged,  this  time  by  a  covered 
structure  painted  red,  and  called  the  "  Governor 
Robinson  Bridge."  Inseparably  connected  with 
this  bridge,  and  just  below  where  the  river  bends, 
are  the  rocks,  once  a  favorite  spot  for  swimmers, 
the  water  being  quite  deep  here,  and  the  high,  rocky 
embankment  a  good  place  from  which  to  dive. 
Nowadays  the  place  is  little  frequented. 

On  the  hillside  overlooking  the  river,  and  where 
now  stands  the  residence  of  the  late  Frederick  G. 
Clark,  D.  D.,  once  stood  the  Governor  Robinson 
mansion,  a  large  brick  building  with  a  gable  roof. 
Into  this  house  was  brought  the  first  foreign  carpet 
in  town.  It  had  a  black  ground,  with  great  bunches 
of  gay-colored  flowers  tied  with  blue  ribbons,  and 
the  paper  on  the  parlor  walls  matched  the  carpet. 
A  long  broad  hall  ran  through  the  house  east  and 
west.  In  the  old  square  rooms  that  opened  from 
this  hall  were  wont  to  gather  the  society  people  of 
the  olden  time.     It  was  here  that  Governor  Moses 


44  SKETCHES   OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

Robinson  entertained  two  o£  our  Presidents,  — 
Thomas  Jefferson  and  James  Madison.  They  re- 
mained with  him  over  the  Sabbath  ;  and  there  is 
a  tradition  that  he  was  very  anxious  the  day  might 
be  pleasant,  that  his  two  distinguished  visitors  might 
accompany  him  to  church. 

A  half  mile  or  so  below  its  neighbors,  already 
mentioned,  stands  the  "  Old  Red  Bridge."  Its 
location  is  a  charming  one  in  summer,  and  in  our 
younger  days  it  was  a  favorite  place  of  resort,  par- 
ticularly on  Saturday  afternoons.  The  steep  north 
hill  leads  down  to  it.  Its  architecture  is  of  the 
conventional  style  of  bridges  of  the  olden  time.  It 
has  a  shingled  roof,  and  its  sides  are  clapboarded ; 
but  diamond-shaped  holes  at  intervals,  formed  by 
its  cross-timbers,  permit  the  sunlight  to  enter, 
making  cheerful  its  long  passageway. 

The  locality  is  an  isolated  one  ;  and  we  remem- 
ber how  forbidding  its  dark  portal  looked  as  we 
approached  it  just  as  the  night  set  in,  and  how 
oppressive  seemed  the  stillness  of  the  surroundings, 
unbroken  save  by  the  muffled  sound  of  hoof  and 
wheel  as  we  passed  over  the  plank  flooring,  and 
the  noise  of  the  rushing  waters  under  it.  There 
has  always  been  something  about  this  bridge  and 


o 
3J 


THE  HISTORIC   WALLOOMSAC  45 

locality  especially  fascinating  to  us ;  and  we  rarely 
miss  an  opportunity  to  look  upon  a  scene  so  plea- 
santly associated  with  our  boyhood.  About  a  mile 
below  the  "  Old  Red  Bridge,"  on  the  Walloomsac, 
stood  the  old  home  of  Samuel  Robinson,  captain  of 
one  of  the  two  companies  of  Bennington  men  in 
Stark's  "  little  army."  It  was  he  who  "  guarded 
the  house  where  Baum  lingered  in  his  last  hours, 
and  watched  gently  with  him  as  a  woman  till  he 
died ; "  and  he  often  stated  that  "  he  had  never 
seen  a  more  intelligent  and  brave  officer  than  this 
unfortunate  lieutenant."  His  house  was  of  red 
brick,  with  a  gable  roof,  and  was  known  for  many 
years  as  the  "  Safford  Robinson  Place,"  as  it  was 
occupied  after  his  father's  death  by  his  son  Safford, 
named  in  honor  of  his  mother's  family.  This  old 
home  was  destroyed  by  fire  a  number  of  years  ago. 
A  mile  below  this  house,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Walloomsac,  is  the  old  home  of  another  Revolu- 
tionary hero,  General  Ebenezer  Walbridge,  built 
by  him  in  1786.  He  first  came  to  Bennington  in 
1765.  He  was  an  officer  in  Colonel  Warner's  regi- 
ment of  Green  Mountain  Boys  in  the  winter  cam- 
paign of  1776  in  Canada.  He  served  as  adjutant 
in  the  Bennington  battle,  and  in  1780  succeeded 


46         SKETCHES   OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

Colonel  Herrick  in  the  command  of  the  Bennington 
regiment,  and  afterward  became  brigadier-general. 
The  Walbridge  genealogy  is  traced  back  to  Suffolk 
County,  England.  On  a  copy  of  the  coat-of-arms 
of  the  Suffolk  Walbridges  are  certain  armorial 
bearings  to  show  that  "  Sir  William  de  Walbridge 
accompanied  King  Richard  Coeur  de  Lion  to  the 
Holy  Land  in  the  fourth  crusade,  and  there  greatly 
distinguished  himself."  This  old  home  is  very 
attractive,  with  large,  cheerful  rooms  on  both  sides 
of  its  broad  hall,  and  contains  many  relics  of  great 
interest.  A  reception  was  given  there  on  July  27, 
1897,  in  honor  of  the  one  hundredth  bu'thday  of 
Mrs.  Sophia  Walbridge  Winnie,  the  daughter  of 
Stebbins  Walbridge,  and  granddaughter  of  General 
Walbridge.  The  house  was  decorated  with  old- 
fashioned  flowers,  and  looked  very  inviting.  Mrs. 
Winnie  received  her  guests  with  great  dignity, 
assisted  by  her  attractive  grandniece.  Miss  Harriet 
Walbridge.  The  guests  were  each  presented  with 
a  new  cent,  which  they  will  long  preserve  to  com- 
memorate such  an  eventful  occasion. 

Once  a  main  highway  running  north  and  south 
led  straight  through  the  "  Old  Red  Bridge  "  over  the 
hill  where  now  stands  the  Battle  Monument.     Just 


THE  HISTORIC   WALLOOMSAC  47 

below  this  spot,  south,  once  stood  the  old  home  of 
Governor  John  S.  Robinson,  who  at  one  time  had 
his  law-office  in  one  of  the  east  rooms,  where  we 
have  watched  the  dry  logs  in  the  old  fireplace  as 
they  crackled,  sending  their  sparks  high  up  the 
big  chimney.  The  governor  was  a  delegate  to  the 
Convention  held  in  Charleston  just  before  the  war. 
He  died  there,  and  his  remains  were  brought  to 
Bennington  and  buried  with  imposing  ceremonies. 
Lyman  Patchin,  generally  called  Squire  Patchin, 
kept  the  brick  store  across  the  street  from  Governor 
Robinson's  house,  a  little  farther  up.  The  broad 
front  steps  of  the  store  were  a  popular  gathering- 
place  for  gentlemen  in  those  summer  days,  when 
old  Bennington  was  a  business  centre.  There 
comes  to  our  mind,  as  we  write,  a  building,  historic 
in  its  character,  that  stood  west  of  Squire  Patchings 
store.  It  was  of  a  light  yellow  color ;  and  painted 
on  its  front  in  large  letters  were  the  words  "  State 
Arms,"  so  called  because  it  stood  near  the  site  of 
the  old  Continental  Store-House,  where  were  kept 
those  fabulous  stores  in  Revolutionary  days.  It 
was  built  by  Jonathan  Robinson  in  1780,  and  was 
one  of  the  most  flourishing  taverns  in  Bennington's 
early  history. 


48         SKETCHES  OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

Many  practical  jokes  had  their  origin  in  the  bar- 
room of  this  old  tavern.  The  story  is  told  of  a 
man  in  the  neighborhood  who  always  knew  when  a 
barrel  of  sweet  cider  was  carried  into  the  cellar  of 
the  State  Arms,  and  who  made  himself  a  nuisance 
by  hanging  around  until  they  gave  him  a  drink. 
A  young  man  in  the  tavern  determined  to  stop  this 
if  possible,  so  procured  a  mask,  inside  of  which  he 
fastened  a  candle.  .A  string  was  then  attached  to 
the  mask,  and  it  was  ready  for  use.  The  new 
barrel  of  cider  was  placed  directly  under  the  trap- 
door in  the  bar-room,  and  when  the  offender  made 
his  appearance,  he  was  asked  if  he  would  like  a 
drink  of  sweet  cider.  He  was  then  given  a  pitcher 
and  told  to  go  downstairs  and  fill  it.  They  gave 
him  sufficient  time  to  turn  the  faucet,  and  then 
quietly  let  down  the  mask,  with  the  candle  lighted, 
until  it  rested  on  top  of  the  cider-barrel.  They 
soon  heard  a  most  terrible  shriek ;  then  the  man 
rushed  up  the  stairs,  white  as  a  sheet,  and,  gasping 
from  fright,  said  :  "  Your  cider  is  running  all  over 
the  cellar  floor,  and  the  Devil  is  sitting  on  the  cider- 
barrel  ! "  It  is  needless  to  say  that  his  cure  was 
complete. 

A  club   of  wild  young  men,  called  the  Cognac 


THE  HISTORIC  WALLOOMSAC  49 

Club,  used  to  gather  here,  and  one  of  its  members, 
for  a  wager,  is  said  to  have  ridden  his  spirited 
young  horse  up  the  broad  stairway  and  into  the 
ball-room.  Later,  this  tavern  was  used  as  a  private 
dwelling,  having  been  thoroughly  overhauled  for 
that  purpose.  It  was,  we  regret,  taken  down,  to- 
gether with  other  buildings,  when  the  erection  of 
the  Battle  Monument  was  assured. 

Adjoining  the  State  Arms,  on  the  north,  stood  a 
brick  building  with  a  gable  roof,  occupied  by  an 
old-time  Congressman.  It  was  a  pleasant  place  to 
visit,  and  our  life  was  closely  interwoven  with  those 
that  made  this  home  so  attractive.  Its  walls  might 
have  told  the  story  of  a  most  touching  romance,  in 
which  true  love  never  wavered,  and  which  lasted 
nearly  forty  years. 

An  old-fashioned  garden  was  a  feature  of  the 
place,  just  such  a  garden  as  one  reads  about,  but 
rarely  sees  nowadays,  —  one  where  the  grapevines 
twined  about  the  trees  until  the  trunks  were  cov- 
ered. We  also  remember  the  garden  as  prolific  in 
fruits  and  flowers.  The  flowers  seemed  to  be  in 
endless  variety,  and  their  coloring  has  increased 
in  brightness,  and  their  fragrance  in  strength,  as 
the  long  years  have  passed ;  likewise  with  the  fruit. 


50         SKETCHES   OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

How  tempting  looked  the  long-necked  pears  as  they 
hung  in  bunches,  bending  low  the  branches ;  and 
how  delicious  seemed  the  German  Bow  apples,  and 
the  big  Harvest  Sweets,  so  ripe  that  they  split  open 
as  they  fell  upon  the  ground  !  Plums  grew  in  that 
garden  of  all  sizes  and  colors,  from  the  small  sweet 
sugar-plum  to  the  large  red  and  white  egg-plums. 

Time  has  wrought  many  changes  in  our  circle, 
but  nowhere  so  marked  as  around  this  spot.  The 
tenants  of  that  home  have  long  since  left  it. 
Where  once  it  stood,  with  its  old-fashioned  garden, 
a  broad  lawn  now  slopes ;  but  from  the  hillside  near 
it  we  look  at  the  same  rare  landscape ;  and,  as  we 
turn  our  steps  homeward,  our  eyes  rest  upon  the 
"  Old  Red  Bridge,"  unchanged,  still  spanning  the 
river  at  the  foot  of  the  steep  north  hill. 


THE  BRICK  ACADEMY 

Often  have  we  been  questioned  concerning  the 
brick  structure,  with  a  white  steeple,  standing  on 
the  east  side  of  the  street,  midway  between  the 
church  and  Battle  Monument,  and  have  invariably 
replied  that  it  was  the  old  academy  where  our 
fathers  and  mothers  went  to  school.  High  up,  and 
imbedded  in  its  red  brick  front,  is  a  small  slab  that 
tells  the  passer-by  when  it  was  erected. 

In  a  letter  from  Isaac  Robinson  to  his  brother, 
Jonathan  E.,  in  New  York,  dated  November  5,  1821, 
he  wi'ites  :  "  Our  academy  is  about  finished ;  it  is 
the  best  building  in  the  county,  fire-proof,  and  will 
be  an  honor  to  the  town."  In  the  diary  of  Hiram 
Harwood,  dated  December  13,  the  same  year,  we 
read  :  "A  southeast  storm  overturned  the  steeple  of 
the  new  academy."  This  was  a  great  disappoint- 
ment to  the  people  of  Bennington,  and  it  is  said 
that  the  building  remained  without  a  steeple  for  a 
whole  year.  In  earlier  days  it  was  considered  an 
honor  here  in  Bennington  for  boys  to  be  chosen  to 


52         SKETCHES  OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

watch  in  the  belfry  of  the  old  academy  until  mid- 
night, when  they  were  to  ring  the  bell  which  was 
to  be  the  signal  for  the  Fourth  of  July  celebration 
to  begin.  Dr.  Charles  Seymour  Robinson,  once  a 
Bennington  boy,  has  given  a  most  vivid  descrip- 
tion of  a  boy's  feelings  while  watching  iji  the  old 
belfry  :  — 

"  You  get  hungry,  and  you  get  sleepy,  and  you 
get  superstitious,  and  you  get  shivering,  before  you 
know  it.  But  do  you  suppose  anybody  is  going 
to  give  in,  for  all  that  ?  You  cuddle  down  beside 
the  timbers ;  you  crowd  up  close  together ;  you 
hear  the  spirit-like  whirr  of  the  night-birds  as  they 
hurry  by  the  spire ;  you  listen  comfortably  to  the 
far-away  baying  of  a  house-dog.  Then  you  begin 
to  wonder  what  time  it  is.  Somebody  has  a  watch, 
or  somebody  has  borrowed  one.  You  stand  up  to 
shake  yourself  a  little ;  you  peer  over  the  balus- 
trade into  the  awful  depths  beneath ;  you  start  the 
question  whether  any  fellow  could  live  if  he  fell 
down  to  the  sidewalk ;  somebody  knows  of  an  in- 
stance of  such  a  thing  which  occurred  somewhere, 
and  that  stirs  up  the  horror  and  suggests  impres- 
sively that  you  sit  down  again  with  your  back  to  a 
beam. 


p 


X 


THE  BRICK  ACADEMY  53 

"  Tlien  the  grand  shadows  of  the  latest  hours 
you  ever  knew  since  you  were  alive  hang  heavily 
overhead,  and  you  look  to  see  what  time  it  is. 
The  stars  march  right  on  through  the  fleecy  clouds, 
as  you  imagine  the  Continental  soldiers  must  have 
marched  throuo;h  the  ranks  of  the  old  British  in 
the  Revolution.  And  the  deep  sky  is  wonderfully 
blue,  and  perhaps  the  weird  northern  lights  stream 
across  the  zenith,  or  flashes  of  heat-lightning  play 
low  on  the  horizon.  Down  below  you  slumbers  the 
unsuspicious  village;  and  then  you  wonder  what 
time  it  is;  and  so  the  beautiful,  solemn  night 
passes  on." 

Bleak  winds  have  whistled  through  the  belfry  of 
the  old  academy,  and  the  snows  of  many  an  old- 
time  New  England  winter  have  drifted  at  its  base, 
since  first  its  doors  were  opened  as  an  institution  of 
learning,  and  our  fathers  and  mothers  went  there 
to  school. 

It  was  not,  however,  the  first  institution  of  this 
kind  erected  in  Bennington.  Our  first  schoolhouse 
stood  not  far  from  the  house  of  Mr.  Charles  Swift, 
and  was  built  of  tamarack  logs  obtained  in  the 
swamp  near  by. 

In  1780  CHo  Hall  was  established,  anjl  was  the 


64  SKETCHES  OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

first  incorporated  academy  in  the  State.  It  stood 
on  the  corner  where  the  First  Church  now  stands, 
and  a  part  of  its  foundation  may  still  be  seen  in  the 
cellar  of  that  church.  It  was  a  flourishing  school 
for  a  long-  time,  when  unfortunately  it  was  destroyed 
by  fire  in  1803. 

The  people  living  below  the  hill  missed  having 
a  school  at  that  end  of  the  town ;  so,  when  Mt. 
Anthony  Seminary  was  established  in  1829,  there 
was  great  rejoicing  in  that  district.  But  the  chil- 
dren who  were  obliged  to  attend  the  "  Pioneer," 
as  the  new  school  was  called,  received  very  often 
quite  rough  treatment  from  the  boys  of  the  "  Old 
Line "  (the  academy),  who  considered  their  school 
was  not  treated  with  proper  respect  when  it  was 
passed  by  to  attend  the  Mt.  Anthony  Seminary 
further  down.  Its  peculiar-sounding  bell  has  often 
awakened  us,  as  well  as  our  patriotism,  during  the 
night  preceding  the  celebration  of  the  Sixteenth  of 
August.  On  its  steps,  at  one  of  these  celebrations 
in  1837,  stood  the  late  Rev.  E.  H.  Chapin,  then  a 
young  man  about  twenty  years  of  age,  and  recited 
the  following  poem,  which  he  had  written  in  honor 
of  the  day  :  — 


THE  BRICK  ACADEMY  65 

BENNINGTON  BATTLE. 

They  came  up  at  the  battle's  sound, 

Stern,  iron-hearted  men; 
They  heard  it  as  it  thrilled  along 

The  stream-side  and  the  glen  : 
The  dim  old  mountains  echoed  back 

That  summons  wild  and  strong, 
And  the  far  greenwood  depths  were  stirred 

As  with  a  triumph  song. 

They  came,  as  brave  men  ever  come, 

To  stand,  to  fight,  to  die  ; 
No  thought  of  fear  was  in  the  heart. 

No  quailing  in  the  eye; 
If  the  lip  faltered,  't  was  with  prayer, 

Amid  those  gathering  bands, 
For  the  sure  rifle  kept  its  poise 

In  strong,  untrembling  hands. 

They  came  up  at  the  battle  sound 

To  old  Walloomsac  height; 
Behind  them  were  their  fields  of  toil, 

With  harvest  promise  white; 
Before  them  those  that  sought  to  wrest 

Their  hallowed  birthright  dear; 
While  through  their  ranks  went  fearlessly 

Their  leader's  words  of  cheer:  — 

"  My  men,  there  are  our  freedom's  foe, 
And  shall  they  stand  or  fall  ? 
Ye  have  your  weapons  in  your  hands, 
Ye  know  your  duty  all. 


66         SKETCHES   OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

For  see,  this  day  we  triumph  o'er 

The  minions  of  the  crown, 
Or  Molly  Stark 's  a  widowed  one 

Ere  yonder  sun  goes  down." 

One  thought  of  Heaven,  one  thought  of  home, 
.  One  thought  of  hearth  and  shrine. 

Then  rock-like  stood  they  in  their  might 

Before  the  glittering  line. 
A  moment,  and  each  keen  eye  paused, 

The  coming  foe  to  mark, 
Then  downward  to  his  barrel  glanced. 

And  strife  was  wild  and  dark. 

*T  is  sixty  years  ago,  and  where  — 

Ay,  where  —  are  those  brave  yeomen  now  ? 
The  clods  are  heavy  on  the  breast. 

And  dust  is  on  the  brow. 
A  few  still  linger  with  dimmed  eyes. 

And  time-bleached  locks  of  gray, 
But  they  are  passing  one  by  one 

To  their  deep  rest  away. 

The  triumphs  of  that  conflict  hour 

With  them  will  not  depart; 
The  memory  of  that  old  red  field 

Is  fresh  within  the  heart. 
'T  will  live  on  every  mountain-side, 

'T  will  breathe  in  every  glen, 
And  linger  by  the  sepulchre 

Where  sleep  those  mighty  men. 

It  needs  no  monumental  pile 
To  tell  each  storied  name; 


THE  BRICK  ACADEMY  bl 

The  fair  green  hills  rise  proudly  up 

To  consecrate  their  fame. 
True  to  its  trust,  VValloomsac  long 

The  record  bright  shall  bear, 
Who  came  up  at  the  battle  sound 

And  fought  for  freedom  there. 

Dr.  Chapin  afterwards  became  one  of  the  most 
popular  of  lecturers,  and  used  to  say  that  "  he 
lectured  for  F.  A.  M.  E.,"  which  he  laughmgly 
explained,  for  "  fifty  and  my  expenses." 

In  after  years,  when  the  Mt.  Anthony  Seminary 
gained  in  popularity,  only  the  lower  room  of  the 
old  academy  was  used  for  school  purposes,  and  in 
the  upper  room  were  held  the  prayer-meetings  of 
the  First  Church.  Many  who  first  learned  to  read 
in  the  lower  room  were  heard  later  in  life  in  the 
services  of  the  upper  one ;  but  they  have  passed  on 
to  that  upper  sphere  towards  which  we  are  all  fast 
journeying.  Singing-schools  and  choir  rehearsals 
were  also  held  here,  and  how  enjoyable  they  were ; 
for  the  genial  chorister,  John  Fay,  had  a  happy  way 
of  diversifying  his  instruction  with  witty  remarks, 
and  an  evening  with  him  always  passed  quickly. 
His  pleasant  face  is  often  in  our  mind,  and  we  can 
hardly  realize  that  nearly  one  thii-d  of  a  century  has 
passed  since  he  left  us  in  the  prime  of  life  on  that 
far-away  winter's  day. 


58  SKETCHES  OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

The  ravages  of  time  and  climatic  changes  weak- 
ened the  once  firmly  laid  foundation  of  the  academy, 
and  for  a  time  it  was  not  considered  safe  for  occu- 
pancy. As  the  building  was  erected  for  educational 
purposes,  to  further  its  use  in  that  line  some  of 
our  ladies  conceived  the  idea  of  utilizing  part  of  it 
for  a  pubHc  Hbrary.  With  this  end  in  view,  the 
work  of  repairing  it  was  begun  under  the  supervi- 
sion of  these  ladies,  and,  as  a  result  of  their  efforts, 
the  structure  has  been  made  secure  (1897).  The 
lower  room  has  been  substantially  fitted  up  for 
library  purposes ;  and  its  pretty  furnishings,  to- 
gether with  rare  views  seen  from  its  windows,  make 
it  a  most  attractive  gathering  -  place.  The  base- 
ment, where  was  once  kept  the  old  hand  fire-engine, 
Ethan  Allen,  has  been  put  in  a  fine  condition,  and 
has  many  conveniences  so  essential  when  entertain- 
ments are  given,  —  heating  apparatus,  running 
water,  etc.  For  all  these  improvements  a  consider- 
able sum  of  money  has  been  required,  the  major 
part  of  which  has  been  generously  and  willingly 
given  by  Miss  Mary  Sanford,  daughter  of  the  late 
Samuel  B.  Sanford.  The  library  has  already  a 
fair  assortment  of  books,  some  of  which  have  been 
purchased  by  the  committee  appointed  for  that  pur- 


THE  BRICK  ACADEMY  59 

pose,  and  others  have  been  donated  by  interested 
friends. 

This  was  not  the  first  library  established  in  Ben- 
nington, for  one  was  proposed  as  early  as  1793,  and 
a  meeting  of  subscribers  called,  which  finally  re- 
sulted in  the  establishment  of  a  public  library  in 
April,  1796,  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  chose  to 
become  proprietors,  under  the  direction  of  the  Rev. 
Job  Swift,  Colonel  Nathaniel  Brush,  Dr.  Micah  J. 
Lyman,  Anthony  Haswell,and  Captain  John  Norton. 
David  Russell,  one  of  the  first  editors  of  the  "  Ver- 
mont Gazette,"  was  secretary. 

Another  library  was  estabhshed  later ;  for  we 
read  in  the  "  Vermont  Gazette,"  published  in  1830, 
that  "  a  valuable  hbrary  has  been  attached  to  the 
academy,  to  which  any  student  may  have  access  by 
contributing  to  its  fund  the  trifling  sum  of  twelve 
and  a  half  cents  per  quarter." 

The  old  brick  academy  can  no  longer  boast  of 
being  "  the  finest  building  in  the  county ; "  but 
to  those  who  are  so  closely  associated  with  its  past, 
no  other  could  take  its  place,  so  we  hope  and  trust 
that  it  will  ever  be  carefully  preserved  as  one  of 
our  most  precious  landmarks,  inexpressibly  dear  to 
every  old  resident  of  "  Bennington  on  the  Hill." 


THE   SIXTEENTH   OF   AUGUST   AND 
TRAINING-DAYS 

The  anniversary  of  the  battle  so  bravely  fought 
on  August  16,  1777,  was  celebrated  always  in  Ben- 
nington with  joy  and  thanksgiving.  "  The  morning 
was  ushered  in  with  the  firing  of  a  national  salute, 
the  same  piece  of  ordnance  being  used  which  was 
captured  from  the  British  on  the  day  of  the  Ben- 
nington battle."  The  national  flag  was  raised  on 
the  court-house,  and  very  early  in  the  morning  the 
people  began  to  congregate,  prepared  to  enjoy  what 
was  a  red-letter  day  in  the  town's  early  history. 

Large  delegations  from  the  neighboring  towns 
also  gathered  here  to  witness  or  take  part  in  the 
yearly  celebration.  A  procession  was  formed  near 
where  the  Battle  Monument  now  stands,  in  which 
the  survivors  of  the  battle  or  their  descendants  took 
a  prominent  part. 

At  first  these  processions  were  escorted  by  Cap- 
tain Robinson's  Cavalry  and  Captain  Safford's  Light 
Infantry.     They  marched  down  the  broad  street  to 


W 
35 


O 


o 


THE  SIXTEENTH  OF  AUGUST,  ETC.  61 

the  First  Church,  where  they  listened  to  an  oration, 
and  then  marched  back  to  the  State  Arms,  where  a 
dinner  was  served,  at  which  toasts  were  given  and 
responded  to  with  much  spirit  and  grace. 

In  the  "  Vermont  Gazette,"  pubHshed  in  Au- 
gust, 1826,  an  interesting  account  is  given  of  the 
celebration  on  the  forty -ninth  anniversary  of 
the  Bennington  battle,  when  General  David  Rob- 
inson was  president  of  the  day.  Twenty -four 
young  ladies,  representing  the  States  of  the  Union, 
joined  the  procession  on  the  brow  of  the  hill,  near 
the  residence  of  General  Robinson,  and  "  per- 
formed the  grateful  duty  of  strewing  roses  in  the 
pathway  of  the  veterans  as  they  entered  the  sanc- 
tuary." 

In  1840,  on  the  sixty-third  anniversary  of  the 
battle,  the  "  Vermont  Gazette  "  states  that  "  there  was 
such  a  congregating  of  men  as  were  never  before 
known  in  old  Bennington,  and  is  supposed  to  be, 
from  the  best  estimate,  the  largest  collection  of 
freemen  that  ever  assembled  in  the  State.  The 
procession  that  came  in  from  Pownal  and  Berkshire 
in  carriages  was  one  and  a  half  miles  in  length ; 
the  procession  from  Shaftsbury  and  northern  towns 
formed  one  of  about  three  miles  in  length."     And 


62         SKETCHES  OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

that  "from  seven  to  eight  thousand  dinners  were 
eaten  at  the  public  table  on  that  day." 

This  procession  was  the  most  grand  and  imposing 
that  ever  had  been  seen  in  Bennington.  General 
David  Robinson,  at  this  time  eighty-six  years  of  age, 
and  Mr.  Samuel  Safford  were  the  only  surviving 
heroes  of  the  battle  present.  Colonel  Orsamus  C. 
Merrill  was  president  of  the  day. 

Farther  back  than  we  can  remember,  a  regular 
time  was  appointed  each  year  for  military  drill, 
called  "  Training  -  Day,"  familiarly  spoken  of  as 
"  June  Training."  Judging  from  what  we  are  told 
by  those  who  were  present  on  these  interesting 
occasions,  it  must  have  been  another  red-letter  day, 
not  only  in  the  town,  but  in  the  neighboring  ham- 
lets, whose  residents  flocked  to  our  village  in  great 
numbers.  Hucksters  of  various  kinds  temptingly 
displayed  their  wares,  which  generally  found  a 
ready  sale.  Doubtless  there  are  some  alive  now 
who  remember  eating  a  card  of  Mrs.  Suttle's 
gingerbread,  known  far  and  near  as  "  Mrs.  Suttleses' 
best."  This  gingerbread,  we  are  told,  was  light  in 
color  as  well  as  weight. 

In  those  early  days  martial  music  consisted  largely 
of  fifes  and  drums,  and  many  interesting  anecdotes 


THE  SIXTEENTH  OF  AUGUST,  ETC.  63 

are  told  of  the  expert  drummers  and  fifers  of  that 
early  period.  It  is  said  of  one  man  who  excelled 
as  a  snare-drummer  that  he  often  used  three  drum- 
sticks, keeping  one  in  the  air  while  he  beat  time 
with  the  other  two.  It  is  also  related  of  James 
Whittum,  called  Uncle  Jim,  that  often  when  he 
played  the  fife  it  could  be  heard  two  miles  away. 
Uncle  Jim  boasted  of  having  once  split  a  fife. 

There  was  a  noted  character  in  our  town  whose 
services  were  indispensable  on  a  "  Training-Day " 
in  June ;  his  name  was  Joel  Gill.  He  was  a  gentle- 
man of  color,  one  of  the  blackest  of  his  race,  and 
an  enthusiast  in  military  matters,  believing  evi- 
dently in  the  strictest  discipline. 

While  inclined  at  times  to  indulge  in  ardent 
spirits,  he  never  imbibed  until  the  exercises  were 
over.  It  is  said  that  his  acquaintance  with  promi- 
nent people  throughout  the  State  was  very  large, 
and  at  his  death  we  lost  a  valuable  encyclopaedia  of 
knowledge  concerning  the  local  matters  connected 
with  the  town. 

His  laugh  was  contagious,  and  we  irresistibly 
laughed  with  him.  We  recall  also  his  figure,  still 
erect,  and  the  martial  bearing  he  could  so  readily 
assume.     There  was  a  tender  side  to  his  nature,  and 


64         SKETCHES   OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

when  the  past  and  its  associations  were  recalled,  the 
tears  would  trickle  down  the  dusky  face,  which 
generally  was  wreathed  in  smiles. 

He  was  for  many  years  identified  with  the  Ben- 
nington Cornet  Band,  and  guarded  its  uniform  with 
the  greatest  care,  proud  to  wear  it  on  public  occa- 
sions, when  he  assumed  at  once  a  military  air.  The 
band  was  never  out  save  with  Joel  at  his  post  by 
the  side  of  the  bass-drum ;  but  it  is  many  years 
since  we  have  seen  him  march,  for  Joel  died  a 
quarter  of  a  century  ago,  and  would  have  been 
pleased  and  proud  to  have  known  that  his  beloved 
band  turned  out  with  full  ranks  to  escort  his  re- 
mains to  the  grave,  thus  carrying  out  a  wish  that 
this  faithful  servant  had  so  often  expressed. 

These  celebrations,  so  much  enjoyed  by  the  Ben- 
nington boys  half  a  century  ago,  have  gone  quite 
out  of  fashion ;  but  we  are  thoroughly  in  sympathy 
with  the  views  expressed  by  ex-President  Harrison 
regarding  the  old-time  Fourth  of  July  celebration. 
"  Its  simple  parades  and  musters,  the  reading  of  the 
Declaration,  and  the  oration  that  more  than  sup- 
plied the  lack  of  glitter  and  color  in  the  parade, 
once  the  event  of  the  year,  went  out  of  fashion. 
We   allowed    ourselves   to   be   laughed   out   of  it. 


THE  SIXTEENTH   OF  AUGUST,  ETC.  65 

It  may  be  that  the  speaker  was  boastful,  but  a 
boaster  is  better  than  a  pessimist.  The  clay  as  a 
patriotic  anniversary  was  ahnost  lost,  and  a  family 
picnic-day  or  a  baseball-day  substituted.  It  is  com- 
ing back,  and  we  ought  to  aid  in  reinstating  it. 
The  old  Declaration  has  a  pulse  in  it  and  a  ring  to 
it  that  does  the  soul  good." 


THE   OLD  COURT-HOUSE 

The  first  court-house  in  Bennington  was  built  of 
wood  in  1781,  and  stood  east  of  where  the  Battle 
Monument  now  stands.  It  was  destroyed  by  fire  on 
May  17,  1809. 

Dramatic  entertainments  were  held  in  this  build- 
ing as  early  as  1787,  advertised  to  begin  "at  six 
o'clock  exactly,"  showing  that  Bennington  people 
in  those  early  days  kept  early  hours. 

The  second  court-house  was  also  of  wood,  and 
stood  very  near  the  first,  —  west  of  the  grounds  of 
Mr.  George  Worthington,  whose  attractive  home, 
Worthlea,  has  added  much  to  the  beauty  of  that 
part  of  the  town.  The  property  adjoining  Mr. 
Worthington' s,  north,  belongs  to  Miss  Mary  San- 
ford,  whose  artistic  new  home,  the  Priory,  is 
worthy  of  much  admiration.  The  second  court- 
house was  burned  on  October  28,  1846,  "with  a 
loss  to  the  county  of  about  three  thousand  dollars." 

The  third  court-house,  built  of  brick,  stood  near 
the  house  where  Ethan  Allen  lived,  and,  with  its 


THE    OLD   COURT-HOUSE 


THE  OLD  COURT-HOUSE  67 

tall  white  pillars,  made  quite  an  imposing  structure, 
dividing  honors  with  its  other  neighbor,  the  Old 
White  Church,  whose  bell  was  rung  to  call  the  court 
together  morning  and  afternoon. 

The  sheriff  always  escorted  the  judges  to  the 
court-house.  To  the  right,  as  you  entered  the 
building,  there  was  a  room  occupied  as  a  law-office 
by  S.  H.  Blackmer.  To  the  left  was  another  room, 
occupied  by  the  Hon.  A.  B.  Gardner,  a  leading 
lawyer,  and  at  one  time  lieutenant-governor  of  the 
State.  The  back  part  of  the  building  on  the  lower 
floor  was  used  on  election  day  as  a  voting-place, 
and  the  rest  of  the  year  as  a  furniture  repository. 
The  upper  floor  consisted  of  a  court-room,  sheriff's 
room,  consultation  room,  etc.  The  court-room  was 
a  pleasant  one  in  winter,  having  windows  on  three 
sides,  which  made  it  sunny  and  cheerful. 

Concerts  and  other  entertainments  were  held  here 
for  years.  The  famous  Hutchinson  Family,  Barker 
Family,  and  the  Peak  Bell  Ringers  always  filled  the 
room  when  they  gave  a  concert. 

The  convening  of  court  fifty  years  ago  was  quite 
an  event  here  on  the  Hill ;  and  when  this  third  court- 
house was  unfortunately  destroyed  by  fire  on  March 
26,  1869,  it  was   a   bitter   disappointment  to  the 


68         SKETCHES   OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

people   of  old  Bennington  to  have  the  new  court 
house  located  in  the  East  Village. 

Happening  into  the  court-room  one  day  last  win- 
ter, I  was  reminded  of  old  times  by  seeing  the 
venerable  H.  K.  Fowler,  of  Manchester,  Vermont, 
inside  the  bar.  None  of  his  contemporaries  were 
present;  the  faces  he  looked  u]3on  were  those  of 
persons  who  were  children  when  he  was  active  in 
his  profession,  and  a  few  of  the  younger  lawyers 
were  unborn  at  that  time.  As  I  looked  at  this 
well-preserved  man,  familiar  to  me  since  my  earliest 
recollection,  I  wondered  if  his  mind  reverted  to 
court  days  in  the  old  building  upon  the  Hill,  when 
the  judges  all  had  gray  hair  that  stood  up  like 
bristles,  and  solemn  faces,  and  bore  the  names  of 
Kellogg,  Pierpont,  Williams,  and"  Redfield;  when 
two  large  stoves  filled  with  long  sticks  of  wood 
made  the  atmosphere  of  the  room  endurable  those 
old-fashioned  winter  days ;  when  snow  was  plenty, 
and  people  came  to  court  in  sleighs ;  and  when 
greetings  were  exchanged  with  Edgerton,  of  Rut- 
land, Miner,  Sargeant,  and  Roberts,  of  Manchester, 
Harmon  Canfield,  of  Arlington,  John  S.  Robinson, 
Tarrent  Sibley,  Pierpont  Isham,  A.  P.  Lyman,  J.  H. 
Cushman,  G.  W.  Harmon,  and  others,  of  Ben- 
nington. 


THE  OLD   COURT-HOUSE  69 

111  the  old  court-house,  boys  were  allowed  to  sell 
apples,  popcorn,  and  home-made  molasses  candy 
while  court  was  in  session ;  but  they  moved  noise- 
lessly about,  and  were  tidy  in  their  appearance, 
makino'  no  trouble. 

A  gentleman  still  living  tells  the  remarkable  story 
of  one  of  the  side  judges  consuming  a  peck  of 
apples  a  day  during  session. 

A  well-known  citizen  was  sheriff  for  a  long  time, 
who  was  very  fond  of  playing  a  joke.  One  day  he 
met  an  old  friend  who  lived  just  outside  our  village, 
and  asked  him  why  he  did  not  come  to  court.  His 
friend  replied  that  he  would  like  to  come,  but,  being 
very  bald,  he  did  not  dare  sit  with  his  hat  off  in 
the  court-room.  The  sheriff  then  assured  him  that 
he  could  keep  his  hat  on. 

Shortly  after  the  conversation,  the  man  appeared 
in  court,  and  took  a  seat  in  a  conspicuous  place. 
He  wore  a  beaver  hat  of  unusual  height.  It  was 
soon  time  to  open  court.  The  sheriff  rapped  for 
order,  and  requested  all  to  remove  their  hats.  The 
owner  of  the  tall  beaver,  remembering  his  conversa- 
tion with  the  sheriff,  sat  happy  and  serene  in  his 
seat.  He  was  the  only  person  in  the  room  who  had 
not  uncovered  his  head.     Again  the  sheriff  rapped 


70         SKETCHES   OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

on  liis  desk  and  asked  that  hats  be  removed  at 
once.     By  this  time  all  eyes  were  focused  on  Mr. 

,  who  at  last  began  to  realize  that  he  was  fast 

becoming  an  object  of  curiosity.  Again  the  sheriff 
pounded  on  his  desk,  and  this  time  pointed  his 
finger  at  the  man  with  the  tall  beaver,  who  was  not 
Ion  Of  in  removino;  his  hat.  This  was  an  amusincr 
incident  to  all  who  witnessed  it ;  but  the  individual 
who  had  been  made  so  conspicuous  vowed  that  he 
would  get  even  with  the  sheriff  some  day,  which  no 
doubt  he  did. 

Lawyers  were  heard  in  this  old  court-room  who 
were  afterwards  famous.  We  remember  the  bril- 
liant Oscar  L.  Shafter,  from  Windham  County.  He 
became  one  of  the  most  eminent  jurists  of  Califor- 
nia. Judge  Samuel  Phelps  was  also  heard  here, 
and  his  son,  Edward  J.  Phelps,  now  recognized  as 
an  accomplished  scholar,  jurist,  and  diplomat. 

Old  Bennington  has  furnished  many  able  judges 
to  preside  over  the  courts  of  Vermont.  Among 
them  were  Hiland  HaU  and  Pierpont  Isham,  the 
former  being  twice  elected  governor  of  Vermont. 

Stenographers  and  pretty  tyjiewriters  were  un- 
known in  those  days,  when  testimony  had  to  be 
written   down    by    hand.     How  the   old   quill-pens 


THE  OLD  COURT-HOUSE  71 

squeaked  as  they  were  rushed  over  the  paper ! 
Fancy-colored  blotters  were  never  seen,  but  in  their 
place  sand  was  used,  shaken  out  of  boxes  as  pepper 
and  salt  in  seasoning.  Many  of  the  inkstands  were 
made  of  wood,  but  to  our  childish  eyes  looked  quite 
elegant.  As  we  grew  older  we  did  copying  for 
lawyers,  who  were  always  patient  and  kind  in  as- 
sisting us  to  decipher  hastily  written  technical 
terms.  Those  who  employed  us  have  long  since 
passed  away,  but  those  early  experiences  we  often 
recall  with  great  pleasure. 


STAGING  DAYS 

We  can  just  see  how  the  old  stage-coach  looked, 
drawn  by  four  horses,  as  at  full  speed  they  dashed 
around  the  corner,  the  driver  cracking  his  whip 
as  only  those  old  experts  could  do,  and  coming  to 
a  standstill  in  front  of  the  Walloomsac  Inn,  half 
a  century  or  more  ago.  All  the  drivers  of  that 
period  are  dead  except  one,  who  is  still  living  in 
town. 

Landlord  Hicks  was  always  on  hand  to  "  welcome 
the  coming  and  speed  the  parting  guest."  This 
old  hostelry,  built  in  1776,  and  famous  since  Revo- 
lutionary days  for  its  excellent  table,  always  had  a 
goodly  number  of  guests,  while  the  State  Arms  on 
the  brow  of  the  Hill  was  equally  well  kept  and 
patronized.  The  old  register  of  the  State  Arms 
could  show  many  distinguished  names  at  that 
period,  and  the  names  of  those  who  were  to  be- 
come noted  as  the  years  passed. 

Dr.  Peckham,  of  New  York,  was  a  regular  sum- 
mer guest  at  this  house.     His  nephew,  Hon.  Rufus 


z 

■J 

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a 


STAGING  DAYS  73 

W.  Peckliam,  now  an  associate  justice  of  the  United 
States  Supreme  Court,  passed  a  summer  within  its 
hospitable  walls  when  a  lad.  Dr.  Peckham's  brother, 
Rufus  W.  Peckham,  Sr.,  afterward  one  of  the 
judges  of  the  New  York  Court  of  Appeals,  selected 
the  Walloomsac  Inn  as  his  summer  home. 

In  staging  days,  old  "  Bennington  on  the  Hill " 
was  a  business  centre,  and  the  leading  village  in  the 
county.  The  Bennington  Bank  stood  just  north 
of  the  brick  academy,  and  on  the  same  street,  fur- 
ther up,  was  a  printing-house.  Here  the  "  Vermont 
Gazette  "  was  published,  the  first  newspaper  printed 
in  the  State.  Looking  over  its  time-worn  files,  we 
are  reminded  by  the  various  advertisements  that 
several  general  stores  once  catered  to  the  wants 
of  the  community.  One  of  these  old-time  stores 
is  now  utilized  as  a  woodshed  by  a  prominent 
Troy  lawyer,  who  has  a  delightful  summer  home 
here. 

John  Fay,  so  long  the  sweet-voiced  chorister  of 
the  old  First  Church,  was  once  a  clerk  in  this  store. 
He  was  not  only  an  amusing  story-teller,  but  a 
practical  joker  as  well.  One  warm  summer  after- 
noon he  was  alone  in  the  store  engaged  in  preparing 
prescriptions,  —  for  most  of  the  country  stores  at 


74         SKETCHES   OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

that  time  carried  a  stock  of  drugs,  —  when  there 
appeared  in  the  doorway  a  well-known  citizen  living 
in  the  west  part  of  the  town,  familiarly  known  as 
Uncle  Hi. 

After  an  exchange  of  friendly  greetings,  Mr.  Fay 
told  him  he  was  prejaaring  an  important  prescrip- 
tion and  needed  his  assistance,  but  felt  it  his  duty 
to  tell  him  that  he  must  be  very  careful  not  to 
sneeze,  as  that  would  mean  almost  instant  death. 

Uncle  Hi  at  first  flatly  refused.  He  said  that 
"  life  was  sweet,  and  his  family  were  dependent 
uj^on  him."  But  Mr.  Fay  continued  to  urge  him, 
asking  if  he  were  in  the  habit  of  sneezing,  when 
Uncle  Hi  was  obliged  to  admit  that  he  seldom 
sneezed.  Mr.  Fay  then  told  him  there  would  not  be 
the  slightest  danger,  and  all  that  he  wished  him  to 
do  was  to  stir  the  mixture  while  he  added  the  ingre- 
dients. Uncle  Hi  at  last  consented,  and  began 
stirring  vigorously,  according  to  instructions,  until 
Mr.  Fay  saw,  as  he  slowly  added  the  capsicum,  that 
his  friend's  face  was  fast  becoming  scarlet.  Suddenly 
Uncle  Hi  ceased  operations  and  called  out :  "  John, 
you  said  —  if  I  sneezed  —  it  meant  death.  If  I  don't 
—  sneeze  —  it  will  be  my  death."  Then  followed 
such  a  succession  of  sneezes  that  Mr.  Fay  laughed 


STAGING  DAYS  75 

until  he  thought  it  might  result  in  his  own  death, 
for  a  more  ludicrous  sight  he  had  never  seen  than 
frightened  Uncle  Hi,  who  vowed  it  would  be  the 
last  time  he  would  ever  assist  John  Fay  in  preparing 
prescriptions. 

Another  store  comes  to  mind  as  we  write,  that  was 
in  existence  years  before  we  were  born,  and  con- 
tinued to  do  business  until  we  reached  manhood. 
Jars  containing  liquids  of  various  shades,  such  as 
are  seen  in  drug-stores,  made  the  front  windows 
attractive. 

Confectionery  and  toys  were  temptingly  arranged 
on  the  shelves.  Pocket-combs,  knives,  jew's-harps, 
and  Jenny  Lind  gum  were  to  be  seen  in  the  httle 
show-case  on  the  counter.  Bunches  of  red,  white, 
and  blue  tippets  hung  by  the  door,  and  many  other 
articles  that  took  the  eye  of  boys  now  scattered 
all  over  the  country.  The  proprietor,  Mr.  Martin 
Scott,  always  our  friend,  died  suddenly  one  winter 
morning,  just  after  business  had  commenced  for  the 
day.  The  building  has  been  moved  to  another  part 
of  the  village,  extensive  repairs  have  been  made  to 
it,  and  now  it  is  pleasantly  spoken  of  as  the  "  Park 
and  Tilford  "  of  Bennington. 

Nearly  opposite  the  old  site  of  this  store,  William 


76         SKETCHES   OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

Lloyd  Garrison  issued  weekly  "  The  Journal  of  the 
Times,"  from  October,  1828,  until  March,  1829. 

William  Lown,  in  his  day  a  noted  carriage-maker 
of  Troy,  once  carried  on  business  here  quite  exten- 
sively ;  also  Joseph  Ogden. 

Bennington  has  always  enjoyed  the  reputation 
of  having  physicians  of  ability ;  three  were  on  the 
Hill  in  old  times.  Dr.  William  Bigelow  lived  near 
the  State  Arms,  and  Drs.  Noadiah  and  Heman 
Swift  lived  near  the  Walloomsac  Inn.  Two  grand- 
sons of  Dr.  Bigelow  —  George  S.  Robinson  and 
John  Squires  —  are  now  prominent  among  Troy's 
business  men.  A  great-grandson  of  Dr.  Noadiah 
Swift,  Dr.  Reynolds  TiUinghast,  is  a  promising 
physician  and  surgeon  in  New  York  at  the  present 
time. 

From  this  little  town  have  gone  forth  into  the 
world  at  large  men  who  have  become  widely  known 
in  the  professions  they  have  chosen. 

The  Rev.  E.  H.  Chapin,  the  famous  pulpit  orator, 
went  from  this  village;  also  the  Rev.  Charles  Sey- 
mour Robinson,  D.  D.,  for  so  many  years  the  pastor 
of  the  Memorial  Church  in  New  York. 

Daniel  Robinson,  for  so  long  president  of  the  old 
Troy  and  Boston  Railroad  Company,  was  born  in 


STAGING  DAYS  11 

BeDuington  and  spent  his  boyhood  here.  It  was 
his  master  mind  that  foresaw  the  advantages  to  be 
gained  by  tunneling  the  Hoosac  Mountain  below 
North  Adams,  Massachusetts.  He  labored  for  its 
accomplishment,  and  lived  long  enough  to  ride 
through  its  rocky  way,  and  to  see  the  struggling 
road  that  he  had  been  the  head  of  consolidated  into 
a  grand  trunk  line,  now  the  popular  Boston  route, 
and  known  as  the  Fitchburg  Railroad  line. 

Horace  F.  Clark,  whose  father,  Daniel  Clark,  was 
the  pastor  of  the  First  Church  for  five  years,  went 
from  here  when  a  boy  to  New  York  city,  where  he 
became  eminent  as  a  lawyer.  He  married  a  daugh- 
ter of  Commodore  Vanderbilt,  and  was  long  identi- 
fied with  the  Vanderbilt  interests.  At  the  time 
of  his  death,  he  was  president  of  the  Lake  Shore 
Railway. 

About  1865,  railroad  business  brought  Mr.  Clark 
and  a  party  of  New  York  capitalists  to  Bennington. 
It  was  his  first  visit  since  his  school-days.  At  the 
instance  of  ex-Governor  Hiland  Hall,  a  gentleman 
was  selected  to  receive  him  who  had  been  intimate 
with  him  in  boyhood.  This  gentleman,  Mr.  Sey- 
mour Merrill,  was  quite  sure  of  his  ability  to  pick 
out  Mr.  Clark,  although    nearly   forty   years    had 


78         SKETCHES   OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

passed  since  they  had  met.  He  had  hardly  entered 
the  car  when  he  recognized  his  okl-time  companion. 
The  recognition  was  instantaneous  on  both  sides, 
Augustus  Schell  remarking  to  the  other  gentlemen 
of  the  party  that  he  "  would  wager  that  Clark  had 
met  an  old  schoolmate."  Mr.  Clark,  while  in  Ben- 
nington, renewed  his  acquaintance  with  many  of 
the  friends  of  his  youth.  One  of  the  results  of  his 
visit  was  the  purchase  of  the  broad  acres  that  now 
surround  the  Clark  mansion,  known  as  Fernhurst,  a 
most  delightful  spot. 

Mr.  Seth  B.  Hunt,  another  Bennington  boy  who 
went  to  New  York,  was  clerk  for  a  time  for  Arthur 
Tappan,  of  abolition  fame.  His  beautiful  summer 
residence,  Maj)le  Grove,  which  boasts  of  having  one 
of  the  highest  natural  fountains  in  the  world,  is 
now  occupied  as  a  Soldiers'  Home,  one  of  the  finest 
in  this  country. 

Mr.  Hunt's  name  will  longest  be  remembered  in 
connection  with  the  gift  of  the  Free  Library  to  East 
Bennington,  he  and  Hon.  Trenor  W.  Park  sharing 
equally  in  this  noble  philanthropy. 

Near  the  Tichenor  place  may  be  seen  the  old 
homes  of  two  eminent  lawyers :  the  first  having 
been    the    residence   for  many  years   of  the   Hon. 


STAGING  DAYS  79 

Pierpont  Isham,  one  of  the  most  distinguished 
judges  of  the  Vermont  Supreme  Court,  and  the 
other  the  home  of  the  Hon.  Hiland  HalL 

Honors  came  to  Mr.  Hall  without  stint.  He  was 
twice  elected  governor  of  Vermont;  was  a  judge 
of  the  Supreme  Court ;  served  eleven  years  in  Con- 
gress ;  was  second  Comptroller  of  the  United  States 
Treasury  ;  and  went  to  California  as  one  of  the  land 
commissioners  under  the  treaty  of  Mexico,  being 
appointed  by  President  Fillmore.  Mr.  Hall  filled 
all  of  these  positions  with  honor  to  himself  and  his 
native  State.  His  death  occurred  at  the  advanced 
age  of  ninety  years ;  he  was  beloved  by  every  one. 

Back  of  Governor  Hall's  old  home  stands  the 
Mount  Anthony  Golf  Club  House,  which  was  once 
a  famous  seminary  of  learning.  The  names  of  some 
of  its  pupils  are  chiseled  on  the  stones  of  our  side- 
walks, also  upon  the  rocks  that  surround  the  cave 
on  the  side  of  Mount  Anthony.  This  street,  and 
particularly  this  locality,  now  so  quiet,  was  once 
thronged  with  boys,  whose  shouts  often  made  the 
long  winter  evenings  cheerful  as  they  skated  on  the 
frozen  overflow  waters  of  Robinson's  swamp. 


WHERE   WE   WENT   TO   SCHOOL 

With  its  old  belfry  gone,  and  a  wide  veranda  on 
its  eastern  front,  its  interior,  both  below  and  up- 
stairs, beautifully  fitted  up  as  a  club-house,  one 
would  hardly  recognize  the  structure  where  years 
ago  Professor  George  W.  Yates  made  plain  to  us, 
in  his  original  and  entertaining  manner,  knotty 
problems  in  arithmetic  and  algebra. 

At  the  opening  reception  (July  4,  1897),  given 
by  the  charter  members  of  the  Mount  Anthony 
Golf  Club,  we  met  many  old-time  schoolmates. 

During  an  interesting  conversation  with  one  most 
pleasantly  associated  with  our  boyhood  and  later- 
day  life,  he  pointed  out  where  he  sat  in  school-days 
forty  years  ago. 

Doubtless  many  present  remembered  the  platform 
at  the  end  of  the  school-room,  called  the  stage.  It 
took,  I  think,  but  two  steps  to  reach  it ;  but  to  us 
it  seemed  higher  than  a  pulpit  when  we  nervously 
ascended  it,  before  a  room  full  of  people,  to  go  to 
the  big  blackboard  on  examination  day,  where  we 


J 
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■A 


a 


WHERE   WE   WENT  TO  SCHOOL  81 

tried  our  best  to  demonstrate,  witli  clialk  in  hand, 
that  Professor  Yates's  painstaking  efforts  during 
the  Ions:  term  had  not  been  in  vain. 

Boys  spoke  their  pieces  Friday  afternoons  on  this 
same  okl  stage  who  are  to-day  prominent  as  law- 
yers, clergymen,  physicians,  and  in  the  various 
walks  of  business. 

An  entertainment  was  generally  given  on  the  last 
evening  of  the  term,  called  an  exhibition.  The 
programme  was  of  a  miscellaneous  character,  and 
consisted  of  singing,  declamation,  dialogues,  and 
reading  of  compositions.  This  entertainment  was 
the  event  of  the  season.  We  had  studied  our  parts 
thoroughly,  and  from  behind  the  curtains  which 
concealed  the  stage  we  peeped  to  see  if  a  full  house 
were  to  witness  our  triumph.  There  was  always  a 
large  attendance  of  the  village  people,  and  the 
audience  was  sympathetic,  which  is  very  desirable 
on  such  occasions.  It  gave  courage  also  to  those 
behind  the  footlights.  Most  of  the  families  in 
town  were  represented  on  the  stage,  which  ac- 
counted, no  doubt,  for  the  large  number  present. 

There  were  three  brothers  who  attended  school 
at  the  seminary  who  little  thought,  as  the  days  of 
that  happy  period  passed,  that  great  hardships  were 


82         SKETCHES   OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

to  be  endured,  as  well  as  dangers  to  be  faced,  when 
school-days  were  over. 

The  eldest  of  these  brothers  fought  with  the 
boys  in  gray,  while  the  two  younger  followed  the 
stars  and  stripes,  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  The 
first-mentioned,  we  believe,  was  killed  at  the  battle 
of  Nashville,  Tennessee,  under  General  Hood ;  the 
other  brothers  are  alive  and  well,  thouofh  one 
stopped  a  rebel  bullet  and  was  dangerously  wounded. 

It  was  at  the  Mount  Anthony  Seminary  that  the 
Rev.  E.  H.  Chapin,  D.  D.,  the  great  pulpit  orator, 
received  his  education ;  and  also  Edward  Swift 
Isham,  a  leading  lawyer  in  Chicago,  partner  of  Hon. 
Robert  Lincoln,  son  of  the  martyred  President. 

Of  those  who  were  companions  and  acquaintances 
in  those  old  school-days,  we  recall  Daniel  Robinson, 
who  was  for  many  years  second  vice-president  of 
the  great  dry-goods  house  of  H.  B.  Claflin  &  Co., 
of  New  York  city ;  C.  H.  Webb,  of  the  house  of 
Dunham,  Buckley  &  Co.  ;  and  S.  Waldo  Sibley,  of 
John  L.  Bremer  &  Co.,  both  of  New  York  city ; 
also  S.  B.  Hall,  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank, 
North  Bennington  ;  Henry  Harmon,  now  a  promi- 
nent lawyer  in  Rutland,  Vermont;  and  the  Rev. 
David  Beach,  of  MinneapoHs,  Minnesota. 


WHERE   WE   WENT  TO  SCHOOL  83 

As  I  write  these  well-remembered  names  of  boys, 
many  of  whom  were  my  schoolmates,  and  whose  suc- 
cess in  life  has  been  so  marked  and  honorable,  there 
come  vividly  to  mind  others  who  went  in  and  out  of 
the  old  school-room,  whose  lives  were  cut  short 
when  hardly  upon  the  threshold  of  young  man- 
hood, and  when  the  future  seemed  so  bright  with 
promise.  I  recall  the  once  familiar  face  and  form 
of  my  elder  brother,  Henry  Seymour.  Incidents 
of  his  love  and  unselfishness  are  still  fresh  in  mem- 
ory, though  long  and  eventful  years  have  passed 
since  he  was  laid  away  in  the  cemetery. 

Far  from  loved  ones,  and  from  the  peaceful 
scenes  of  their  New  England  homes,  amid  the 
roar  of  battle.  Captain  Frank  Ray  and  Lieutenant 
George  Hicks  fell  while  fighting  for  their  country 
in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion. 

As  we  left  the  old  seminary  (henceforth  to  bear 
a  new  name)  on  that  bright  July  afternoon,  the 
scene,  though  pretty,  was  a  novel  one. 

Gayly  dressed  ladies  chatted  on  the  piazza  with 
gentlemen  in  knickerbockers,  while  stylish  turnouts 
dotted  the  broad  lawn  below. 

We  thought  of  the  mornings  and  afternoons  we 
had  gathered  on  the  playground,  and  of  the  many 


84         SKETCHES   OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

pleasant  hours  spent  in  the  old  boarding-house,  now 
fast  going  to  decay,  but  once  filled  with  happy  boys 
and  girls ;  yet,  while  time  in  its  course  has  wrought 
many  changes.  Nature,  always  kind,  still  has  the 
same  old  reception  for  us.  Mount  Anthony,  but  a 
short  distance  away,  is  unchanged.  The  cave  on 
the  side  of  one  of  its  slopes,  so  wonderful  to  us  in 
boyhood,  is  yet  an  object  of  interest.  The  old 
"  green  road,"  that  we  remember  so  well,  winds  its 
way  through  the  dark  woods  until  the  summit  is 
reached,  but  the  feet  that  walk  in  these  old-time 
places  are  younger  than  ours. 


OLD-TIME   CIRCUS   DAYS 

In  these  days  of  steam  and  electric  cars,  flying- 
machines,  and  spectacular  entertainments,  the  aver- 
age boy  of  the  period  would  hardly  be  satisfied  with 
the  "  Old-Time  Circus,"  with  its  one  ring,  and,  for 
a  long  time,  one  clown  ;  but  he  generally  made  up 
in  quality  what  was  lacking  in  quantity ;  and,  for 
that  matter,  some  of  those  bygone  sons  of  Momus 
were  far  ahead  of  some  of  their  later-day  brethren. 
One  circus  and  menagerie  that  comes  to  mind 
had  two  elephants.  They  were  down  on  the  biUs  as 
"  Famous  War  Elephant  Hannibal  "  and  performing 
elephant  "  Tippo  Saib."  Hannibal  was  a  large 
fellow  and  headstrong.  He  ignored  his  keeper  on 
one  of  his  visits  here,  and  was  soon  in  the  garden 
of  one  of  our  residents,  where  he  regaled  himself 
with  a  breakfast  of  early  vegetables.  The  owner 
did  not  attempt  to  drive  him  away.  Sometimes  we 
would  have  an  economical  turn,  and  resolve  in  our 
mind  that  we  would  content  ourselves  with  viewing 
the  parade.     But  when  we  saw  the  big  tent  gayly 


86         SKETCHES   OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

trimmed  with  flags,  and  lieard  the  band  play,  our 
well-formed  resolutions  to  be  saving  vanished  like 
drops  of  water  on  a  parched  pavement.  We  were  in 
such  a  state  of  excitement  that  the  price  of  admis- 
sion would  have  been  very  high  to  have  kept  us  out- 
side the  tent,  if  the  bank  was  in  any  sort  of  condition. 
The  jokes  and  comic  songs  of  the  clown  amused  us 
greatly,  and  we  laughed  until  our  sides  ached. 

Often  the  circus  would  come  to  town  by  way  of 
the  Hoosac  road,  and  we  tossed  restlessly  on  our 
beds  the  night  preceding  their  coming ;  for  we  were 
anxious  to  be  up  early  to  see  the  preparations  that 
were  made  prior  to  entering  the  village.  It  was  the 
custom  to  halt  near  the  Dewey  Hubbell  homestead. 
Here  the  thin,  jaded  horses  would  be  decked  with 
gaudy  plumes,  and  the  elephants  partially  covered 
with  what  we  were  told  were  "  Oriental  trappings." 
The  elephants  would  quench  their  thirst  from  the 
stream  that  flowed  by  the  roadside,  and  then  with 
their  long  trunks  would  squirt  the  water  high  in  the 
air,  greatly  to  our  delight. 

We  don't  remember  much  about  three-card  monte 
men  or  shell  men,  but  there  were  plenty  of  peddlers 
of  various  wares ;  and  we  can  hear  their  metallic 
voices,  as  first  one  would  cry  out :  "  Apple-pie  that 


OLD-TIME   CIRCUS  DAYS  87 

"will  make  you  cry,  -with  Danby  cheese  that  will 
make  you  sneeze."  Then  another  would  sing-  out : 
"  This  way,  gentlemen,  for  a  cake  of  radgical, 
pradgical,  sadgical  soap,  dug  out  of  the  '  Mammoth 
Cave '  in  Kentucky ;  it  purifies  the  conscience  and 
cleanses  the  shirt-collar."  Still  another  called  out : 
"  Chinese  vegetable  salve ;  cures  corns,  warts,  and 
moles."  Tked,  heated,  and  surfeited  with  peanuts, 
lemonade,  and  candy,  we  wended  our  way  home 
satisfied.  But  when  again  the  bright-colored  bills 
were  seen  on  the  outer  walls  of  barns  and  other 
places,  we  were  ready  to  receive  the  show  as  of  old. 

Advertising  a  circus  was  not  as  thoroughly  done 
as  in  these  days,  but  the  advertising  by  word  of 
mouth  must  have  been  just  as  effectual ;  for  on  the 
day  of  exhibition  there  were  to  be  seen  on  our 
streets  forms  and  faces  of  those  not  only  forgotten, 
but  in  some  cases  the  "  carved  faces  "  of  people  that 
we  had  supposed  had  been  gathered  to  their  fathers 
for  a  long  time. 

Speaking  of  circuses  reminds  me  of  the  "Min- 
strel Backus  "  story  about  the  boy  who  said  to  his 
mother:  "I  want  to  go  to  the  circus,  I  do."  "My 
son,"  said  the  fond  mother,  "  I  can't  let  you  go 
this  time ;  but  if  you  will  be  a  good  boy,  I  will  take 
you  some  day  to  see  your  grandfather's  grave." 


SHOPS   BY   THE  WAYSIDE 

Mammoth  factories,  equipped  with  the  latest  im- 
proved machinery  and  filled  with  skilled  workmen, 
turning  out  daily  thousands  of  pairs  of  shoes  in 
almost  endless  variety  of  styles,  have  driven  out  of 
business  the  old-time  shops  which  once  were  indis- 
pensable in  a  country  village.  We  have  particularly 
in  mind  two  of  the  latter,  and  the  simple  story 
we  have  to  tell  about  them  may  perhaps  bring  to 
the  mind  of  some  reader  experiences  similar  to  ours. 
Boss  Stearns's  shoe-shop  stood  on  one  of  the  pretty 
side  streets  in  our  village,  a  short  distance  from 
where  the  Battle  Monument  now  stands.  The  pro- 
prietor lived  in  a  little  white  house  just  below  the 
shop.  He  was  quite  a  dignified-looking  man,  was 
of  a  musical  turn,  and  sang  in  the  choir  of  the  Old 
First  Church.  We  have  a  picture  of  that  choir, 
and  the  once  familiar  face  of  Boss  Stearns  is  easily 
recognized.  The  old  shop  was  a  low,  two-story 
building.  There  were  two  rooms  on  the  lower 
floor,  the  first,  upon  entering,  being  a  sort  of  wait- 


SHOPS  BY  THE   WAYSIDE  89 

ing-room.  Here  your  feet  were  measured.  A  short 
counter  with  a  desk  at  the  end  was  on  one  side,  and 
against  one  of  the  walls  stood  a  case  with  glass  in 
the  doors,  where  finished  work  was  kept.  From 
this  room  you  entered  the  one  where  we  lingered 
long  whenever  we  were  permitted  to  visit  the  shop. 
As  we  remember  it,  the  room  was  full  of  sunshine. 
A  long  window  was  on  the  side  fronting  the  street. 
It  slid  back,  and  the  air  that  came  into  the  little 
room  in  those  summer  days  of  childhood  seemed 
sweeter  than  summer  air  nowadays.  Men  living  in 
the  neighborhood  frequented  the  place,  and  their 
voices,  pitched  high,  were  often  heard  debating 
some  political  question.  It  was  a  cozy  room  in 
winter.  The  old  wood-stove  gave  out  a  good  heat, 
and  during  this  time  of  the  year  the  sitters  were 
many.  Boss  Stearns  was  an  expert  drummer  in  his 
day,  and  often  he  has  amused  us,  keeping  good  time 
with  his  hammer  as  he  pounded  the  leather  soles  on 
his  old  lap-stone.  We  have  had  boots  made  in 
New  York  city,  and  shoes  made  in  Paris ;  but  the 
boots  made  for  us  by  Boss  Stearns,  with  the  little 
nick  at  the  top  of  the  boot-leg,  called  the  "  Boss's 
mark,"  gave  us  the  most  pleasure.  The  old  shop 
was   long    since    taken    down,    its    proprietor    has 


90         SKETCHES  OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

been  at  rest  for  many  years,  but  tbe  pleasant  hours 
passed  in  the  little  square  room  come  often  to 
mind. 

Away  from  the  village,  on  a  hill,  stands  another 
shoe-shop  of  the  olden  time.  It  is  a  quaint  little 
building,  and  once,  no  doubt,  looked  bright  in  its 
coat  of  red  paint ;  but  the  storms  of  many  years, 
and  the  burning  sun  of  countless  summer  days, 
have  faded  its  timeworn  clapboards,  and  age  has 
plainly  put  its  stamp  on  the  structure  that  has 
always  stood  in  the  same  old  spot,  and  is  unchanged 
in  every  way  since  first  our  eyes  looked  upon  it,  far 
back  in  boyhood  days.  Below  it  lies  the  valley  of 
the  Hoosac  ;  the  location  is  pretty  and  inviting  ;  old 
trees  skirt  the  narrow  roadway  that  further  on  joins 
the  main  highway  leading  to  Troy.  Here  for  a 
lifetime  (and  a  long  one)  "  Uncle  Ebon  "  phed  his 
trade.  There  was  a  small  wooden  sign  over  the 
low,  narrow  door.  On  its  white  background,  black 
figures  rudely  painted  of  a  boot  and  shoe  could  be 
seen,  emblematic  of  the  owner's  business  calling. 
Year  after  year  the  old  man  sat  on  his  bench  by 
the  window  and  pegged  and  pegged,  and  stitched 
and  stitched,  until  his  life's  record  counted  over 
fourscore  years;  yet  he  always  seemed  happy  and 


SHOPS  BY  THE   WAYSIDE  91 

contented,  until  she  who  had  started  early  on  life's 
journey  with  him,  in  those  years  that  seemed  so 
far  away,  tired  of  life's  burdens,  left  him  for  a 
while  :  then  we  noticed  that  the  rugged  form  weak- 
ened under  its  load  of  sorrows  and  cares;  and  as 
time  grew  apace,  we  came  to  see  that  our  old  friend 
of  a  lifetime,  like  the  waving  grain  in  the  fields 
near  by,  was  fast  ripening  for  the  harvest.  The 
reaper  came  at  last ;  and  now,  as  we  journey  over 
the  oft-traveled  road,  we  see  the  little  low  building, 
with  its  rudely  painted  sign,  but  we  miss  the  salu- 
tations we  were  wont  to  receive,  for  our  friend,  the 
old  shoemaker,  has  left  us  forever. 

A  long  two-story  building  that  stood  west  of  his 
house  was  used  by  Uncle  Hiram  as  a  carpenter- 
shop.  How  delighted  we  were  if  we  could  visit 
him  here  and  watch  him  as  he  worked !  Fresh 
and  sweet  was  the  odor  of  the  long  curly  shavings 
that  fell  to  the  floor,  and  later  found  their  way  into 
our  basket.  How  interested  we  were  in  the  stories 
that  he  would  tell  us,  for  Uncle  Hiram  was  very 
amusing  in  a  way  peculiar  to  himself.  Children 
instinctively  gathered  about  him.  He  was  fond 
of  them,  and  they  seemed  to  know  it.  He  was 
never  harsh  or  impatient,  but,  on  the  contrary,  was 


92         SKETCHES  OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

always  gentle  and  cheerful.  Uncle  Hiram  once 
told  the  writer  that  at  one  time  a  school  was  held 
near  his  house.  One  day,  as  the  girls  were  playing 
at  recess,  he  for  amusement  offered  a  two-shilling 
piece  to  the  girl  who  was  the  fastest  runner  of 
the  group,  and  a  York  shilling  to  the  one  who 
was  the  slowest.  The  children  were  to  start  at 
the  same  time,  each  to  do  her  best  to  touch  a  cer- 
tain part  of  a  building  that  stood  near.  A  short, 
thick-set  little  girl  was  the  last  to  touch  the  spot 
selected  by  Uncle  Hiram.  She  received  her  shil- 
ling, the  prize  offered  to  assuage  the  feelings  of  the 
one  less  fleet  than  the  rest.  Many  were  the  years 
that  passed  after  this  incident.  The  little  chubby 
girl  grew  to  womanhood,  was  married,  and  moved 
away.  Uncle  Hiram,  always  industrious,  worked  at 
his  trade  as  the  seasons  came  and  went.  One  day, 
when  he  had  reached  the  age  of  perhaps  three- 
score and  ten,  he  received  a  call  from  a  lady, 
whom  he  soon  recognized  as  the  once  slowest 
runner  of  the  little  group  of  schoolgirls.  Uncle 
Hiram  was  delighted  to  see  the  lady,  now  the  wife 
of  a  millionaire.  She  reminded  him  of  the  inci- 
dent of  which  we  have  written,  and,  after  bidding 
him    good-by,   left   for  him  a   substantial   sum    of 


SHOPS  BY  THE    WAYSIDE  93 

money.  The  act  was  characteristic  of  the  lady, 
whose  tenderness  of  heart  and  generous  nature  were 
well  known  in  Bennington.  She  has  long  since 
passed  to  her  reward.  The  old  shop,  long  unused, 
is  still  standing,  and  looks  the  same  as  when  Uncle 
Hiram  went  at  the  call  of  the  messenger  to  join 
those  not  lost,  but  gone  before. 


THE   FIRST   CHURCH   AND   ITS   "GOD'S 

ACRE" 

The  Old  White  Church  standing  on  the  corner  is 
of  the  Christopher  Wren  style  of  architecture,  and 
was  erected  in  1805. 

This  church  was  organized  in  1763,  and  is  the 
oldest  church  in  Vermont.  Its  first  buildino^  was 
erected  about  1765,  and  stood  in  the  centre  of  the 
Green,  opposite  the  Walloomsac  Inn.  It  was  much 
smaller  than  the  present  edifice,  so  this  larger  build- 
ing was  considered  necessary  for  the  fast-increas- 
ing congregation,  and  was  dedicated  on  New  Year's 
Day,  1806,  — the  dedicatory  sermon  being  preached 
by  the  Rev.  Daniel  Marsh,  who  was  then  pastor 
of  the  church.  The  bell  was  given  by  Governor 
Tichenor,  and  has  the  name  of  the  donor  inscribed 
upon  it.  In  1849  the  square  pews  were  removed, 
and  in  1865  the  church  was  thoroughly  repaired. 

At  this  time,  Mr.  Seth  B.  Hunt,  of  New  York, 
and  Mr.  Daniel  Robinson,  of  Troy,  both  Benning- 
ton boys,  presented  the  church  with  two  beautiful 


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THE  FIRST  CHURCH  AND  ITS  "  GOD'S  ACRE  "     95 

stained-glass  windows.  The  one  given  by  Mr.  Hunt 
became  badly  broken  in  time,  and  was  replaced  by 
Mr.  Samuel  B.  Sanford  in  loving  memory  of  his 
wife.  The  one  given  by  Mr.  Robinson  was  placed 
at  the  other  end  of  the  church,  and  is  still  in  good 
condition.  While  the  church  was  being  repaired, 
services  were  held  in  the  old  court-house,  where  two 
young  ladies,  who  had  considered  themselves  fortu- 
nate in  always  being  able  to  secure  such  a  good 
seat,  discovered  afterwards,  to  their  mortification, 
that  they  had  been  sitting  all  summer  in  the 
prisoners'  box,  which  had  been  carefully  avoided 
by  the  residents  of  the  village. 

In  1890  this  building,  so  dear  to  the  Bennington 
people,  was  once  more  repaired ;  and  we  hope  that 
it  will  ever  be  carefully  preserved  where  it  stands, 
on  the  corner,  like  a  sentinel  guarding  the  sleepers 
who  rest  in  its  shadow. 

Many  of  these  sleepers  were  heroes  who  fell  in 
the  Revolution,  while  others  gave  up  their  lives  on 
Southern  battlefields  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion. 
In  this  modest  "  God's  Acre  "  rest  many  who  have 
made  history  for  the  State  and  nation.  Simple 
tombstones  mark  the  resting-place  of  four  governors 
of  Vermont,  —  Moses  Robinson,  John  S.  Robinson, 


96         SKETCHES  OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

Hiland  Hall,  and  Isaac  Ticlienor.  A  short  distance 
from  the  Tichenor  monument  sleeps  his  neighbor 
and  life-long  friend,  John  Van  Der  Spiegel,  one 
of  the  pioneers  in  the  manufacture  of  stoves. 

We  also  read  the  names  of  Hon.  Jonathan  Robin- 
son, United  States  Senator  during  Madison's  term ; 
and  that  of  his  son-in-law.  Colonel  0.  C.  Merrill, 
member  of  Congress  when  Henry  Clay  was  Speaker 
of  the  House. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  driveway  rests  An- 
thony Haswell ;  and,  reading  the  inscription  on  his 
tombstone,  we  learn  that  he  was  "a  patriot  of  the 
Revolution,  printer,  and  founder  of  the  '  Vermont 
Gazette,'  the  first  newspaper  printed  in  the  State." 

Many  quaint  tombstones  may  be  seen  in  this  old 
churchyard  with  curious  epitaphs. 

This  is  also  the  last  resting-place  of  the  Rev. 
Jedediah  Dewey,  first  pastor  of  Vermont,  who  was 
a  scholar  and  a  great  admirer  of  Shakespeare ;  so  at 
his  request  the  following  lines  from  "  Richard  the 
Second  "  were  carved  on  his  tombstone  :  — 

"  Let 's  talk  of  graves,  of  worms,  and  epitaphs  ; 
Make  dust  our  paper,  and  with  rainy  eyes 
Write  sorrow  on  the  bosom  of  the  earth." 

We  have  often  been  amused  by  the  ignorance  of 


THE  FIRST  CHURCH  AND  ITS  "  GOD'S  ACRE"     97 

our  summer  visitors,  whom  we  have  seen  reading 
this  epitaph,  and  remarking  on  the  "  original  ideas 
of  the  early  settlers." 

Farther  down  the  driveway  we  come  to  a  shaft 
that  marks  the  spot  where  lies  all  that  is  mortal  of 
one  of  the  bravest  officers  who  fell  in  the  Mexican 
war,  —  Colonel  Martin  Scott.  He  was  killed  at 
the  battle  of  Molino  del  Rey.  Scott  was  educated 
at  West  Point,  and  was  stationed  for  a  long  time  on 
the  Western  frontier.  He  was  a  noted  shot,  and  his 
name  is  associated  with  the  famous  coon  story  which 
was  so  often  told  here  years  ago. 

Scott  was  out  hunting  one  day,  and  saw  a  coon 
perched  on  the  limb  of  a  tree.  He  prepared  to 
shoot,  when  the  coon,  seeing  him,  called  out,  "  Don't 
shoot,  colonel ;  I  '11  come  down  !  " 

While  writing  these  last  few  lines,  there  fell  upon 
my  ear  the  strong,  steady  tick,  tick  of  the  tall  old 
clock  that  stands  just  outside  my  library  door.  It 
takes  but  a  trifling  thing  to  stir  the  memory ;  but 
when  its  flood-gates  are  once  opened,  scenes  and 
associations,  unthought  of  perhaps  for  years,  pass 
like  a  panorama  before  one.  The  old  clock,  fresh 
from  the  hands  of  its  makers,  was  placed  in  the 
northeast  corner  of  the  front  room,  where  grand- 


98         SKETCHES   OF  HISTORIC  BENNINGTON 

father  and  grandmother  were  to  pass  their  lives. 
As  the  years  rolled  by,  it  became  an  object  of  great 
interest  to  us  children,  for  it  had  a  musical  attach- 
ment, and  at  certain  hours  it  would  sing  sweetly 
quaint  old  tunes,  rarely  heard  by  children  of  the 
present  day. 

We  grew  to  know  the  hours  it  would  sing ;  and, 
passing  through  the  large  hall  into  the  room  where 
it  stood,  we  would  listen  with  childish  delight  until 
the  last  note  had  died  away.  Faithfully  the  old 
timepiece  performed  its  duty.  It  ticked  and  ticked 
until  nearly  all  the  representatives  of  two  genera- 
tions had  passed  on  to  where  time  is  not  reckoned. 
As  I  bore  the  name  of  my  grandfather,  the  clock 
was  then  given  to  me.  It  was  tenderly  and  care- 
fully transferred  to  its  new  home.  The  spot  for 
this  valued  heirloom  to  stand  was  a  corner  in  the 
hall  near  the  stairway.  Just  now,  as  I  heard  it 
sinof  one  of  its  old  sweet  tunes,  the  memories  of 
the  past  were  awakened,  and  the  old  clock  stood 
once  more  over  at  grandmother's ;  the  dear  ones 
were  there  as  of  yore ;  the  syringa  bush  that  stood 
near  the  window  was  in  bloom,  and  the  sweet 
perfume  of  its  blossoms  scented  the  air.  A  pic- 
ture was  before  me    of  our  old-fashioned  Sabbath 


THE  FIRST  CHURCH  AND  ITS  "GOD'S  ACRE"     99 

morning  of  nearly  half  a  century  ago.  Time  has 
wrought  many  changes ;  but  those  Sabbath  morn- 
ings will  never  be  forgotten  when  our  mothers  led 
us  to  the  Old  White  Church,  the  tone  of  whose 
bell,  as  it  comes  from  its  quaint  but  artistic  belfry, 
is  as  mellow  as  ever ;  but  the  kindly  greetings  of 
loved  ones  we  miss,  for  the  circle  that  was  once  so 
large  is  now  fast  growing  small. 


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